The CDC’s influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Feb. 25-27.
“We will not hold the ACIP meeting later this month,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Becker’s. “Further information will be shared as available.”
A source familiar with the matter told The Hill the meeting has been delayed, though no new dates have been confirmed. As of Feb. 20, no agenda for the meeting was published on the CDC’s ACIP webpage, though the committee was expected to discuss COVID-19 vaccines, CNN reported Feb. 19.
Since 1964, ACIP has reviewed vaccine safety and efficacy data and made recommendations to the CDC director, which often guide insurance coverage and state immunization requirements.
One of the committee members, Robert Malone, MD, previously suggested ACIP would take up whether to rescind COVID vaccine recommendations at its next meeting. The FDA has the authority to remove shots from the market, though the ACIP could significantly limit access because its recommendations influence insurance coverage.
“If the FDA won’t act, there are other entities that will,” Dr. Malone said in January. “All I can say is stay tuned and wait for the upcoming ACIP meeting.”
The canceled meeting comes amid sweeping changes to federal vaccine policy under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In June, Mr. Kennedy fired all 17 ACIP members, replacing them with a roster of handpicked individuals, many of whom have a history of anti-vaccine rhetoric.
In January, the CDC reduced the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children and adolescents from 18 to 11. Under the change, six vaccines — including those for hepatitis A and B, influenza and RSV — are no longer universally recommended. Instead, they fall under either shared decision-making or risk-based guidance. Earlier in 2025, Mr. Kennedy directed the CDC to remove COVID vaccine guidance for healthy children and pregnant women.
Federal health officials have said the changes are intended to promote individualized decision-making, while many medical groups argue they bypassed long-standing scientific review processes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical associations have sued the administration, seeking to block implementation of the revised childhood immunization schedule and reverse what they describe as an unlawful overhaul of federal vaccine policy. In court filings, the groups argue HHS violated the Administrative Procedure Act by sidestepping required evidence review and public comment procedures. At a recent hearing in Boston, the plaintiffs also asked a federal judge to suspend the upcoming ACIP meeting.
It is unclear whether the lawsuit factored into HHS’ decision to cancel the meeting.
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