STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a cancelled FDA vaccine meeting, a Moderna bird flu vaccine, and more
The FDA canceled an upcoming vaccine advisory committee meeting to discuss influenza virus strains that should be included in shots for the next flu season
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is, despite the dreary gray skies hovering over the Pharmalot campus. We are doing our best to maintain sunny spirits, though, because once again, we recall some helpful wisdom from the Morning Mayor, who taught us that “every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.” To celebrate the notion, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is churro cinnamon, for those tracking our habits. Feel free to reach for your own cup while you peruse the items of interest assembled below. After all, the neurons can use all the help they can get. On that note, have a lovely day and do keep in touch. We appreciate any and all thoughts and suggestions. …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration canceled an upcoming vaccine advisory committee meeting to discuss influenza virus strains, STAT notes. The meeting was scheduled for March 13. Committee members received a cancellation email on Wednesday afternoon. Committee member Paul Offit said the email contained no information about rescheduling the meeting, and noted that the meeting is a critical resource for vaccine makers trying to figure out which flu strains to include in their shots for the next flu season. U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines, has said he plans to root out industry influence in health agencies. Part of that plan, according to reports, may be removing advisory committee members who he perceives to have conflicts of interest.
U.S. health officials are reevaluating a $590 million contract for bird flu shots that the Biden administration awarded to Moderna, according to Bloomberg News. The review is part of a government push to examine spending on messenger RNA-based vaccines, the technology that powered Moderna’s Covid vaccine. The bird flu shot contract was awarded to Moderna in the Biden administration’s final days, sending company shares up 13% in the two days following the Jan. 17 announcement. Moderna said in January that it was gearing up for a big final-stage trial of its vaccine, after successfully completing an early-stage trial last year. Without funding, that big trial may not happen. “While it is crucial that the US Department and Health and Human Services support pandemic preparedness, four years of the Biden administration’s failed oversight have made it necessary to review agreements for vaccine production,” a spokesperson for HHS said in a written statement.
