The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its recommended flu vaccine strains for the 2025-26 season, aligning with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations made last month. The change is attributed to a shift in presidential administration, which led to a halt in the usual deliberations on this topic by the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biologics Advisory Committee.
The committee typically includes input from federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Defense. However, this year’s recommendations were based solely on an interagency group, excluding input from vaccine company representatives or the WHO Collaborating Center for Surveillance Epidemiology and Control of Influenza.
The FDA has stated that it does not anticipate any delays in the availability of vaccines for the American public and expects a sufficient supply of trivalent (three-strain) vaccines for the upcoming season. The recommended strains are the same as those suggested by WHO last month, with an emphasis on a different H3N2 influenza A strain for egg- and cell-based vaccines.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/fda-announces-flu-strain-picks-next-seasons-vaccines