FDA Advisers to Weigh COVID Vaccines, H5N1 in US Cows and Poultry

May 09, 2025

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that its Vaccines and Related Biologics Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on May 22 in an open session to discuss and make recommendations on the composition of the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccines, according to a notice in the Federal Register. The FDA said it is holding the meeting without the usual 15-day public notice due to technical issues and the time-sensitive need for input and public discussion. Pharmaceutical companies need a few months of lead time to manufacture vaccine and get the products cleared for the next respiratory virus season. Last year, VRBPAC made its COVID vaccine composition recommendation on June 5. In a related development, the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition will meet this month to make its recommendations.
Over the past few days the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported a few more H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle and poultry. The virus was detected in 4 more dairy herds, all in Idaho, raising Idaho's total to 90 and the national total to 1,052 from 17 states. In poultry, APHIS confirmed new detections involving a backyard flock in Indiana and farms in Illinois and North Dakota. The agency also reported four more detections in other mammals in two states, including foxes in three New York counties (Madison, Onondaga, and Tompkins) and a domestic cat in Ada County, Idaho. All have mid to late April sample collection dates.

Video: Dr. Stacie Crowder: Late-Finishing Nutrition Strategies

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Stacie Crowder from Land O’Lakes, who currently leads the Fortiva innovation team, discusses the challenges and opportunities in late-finishing pig nutrition. She breaks down nutrition strategies to keep pigs on track, improve gut health, and get the most out of late-finishing diets. Learn about new research on feed additives and how nutrition and management tweaks can improve efficiency in the final weeks. Tune in now on all major platforms!