On March 13, the FDA made recommendations to vaccine manufacturers for the virus strains to be used in influenza (flu) vaccines for the 2025-2026 U.S. flu season following a thorough and comprehensive review of U.S. and global surveillance data. With the action, the FDA does not anticipate any impact on timing or availability of vaccines for the American public. The recommendations are similar to the previous year’s strain selection.
To inform the selection of the flu virus strains, the FDA convened a meeting of scientific and public health experts from the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Defense for this in-depth discussion. During the meeting, these federal partners collaboratively evaluated and analyzed U.S. and global surveillance data related to the epidemiology and antigenic characteristics of flu viruses currently circulating.