FDA Removes Paul Offit as Vaccine Adviser

The Food and Drug Administration has removed Dr. Paul Offit from the panel that advises the agency on vaccines.

Offit, who works at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was until recently listed on the FDA website as being a member of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) through Jan. 31, 2027.

He was no longer listed on the committee’s roster as of Aug. 28.

Offit said on Tuesday that he had learned his appointment to an FDA vaccine panel would not be renewed.

The FDA had informed a member of VRBPAC, as well as members of other advisory committees, that their special government employee terms have expired, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA’s parent agency, told The Epoch Times via email when asked for confirmation.

That means the individuals “can no longer participate in Advisory Committee work,” the spokesperson said.

Offit, who started as a member on Feb. 1, 2018, said he was asked to extend his time by an additional two years and filed paperwork to serve until 2027, but was recently informed that the Department of Health and Human Services had decided not to renew the appointment.

VRBPAC advises the FDA on vaccines. The committee only offers recommendations, but those recommendations are typically accepted by the agency without changes.

A spokesperson for the FDA told The Epoch Times in June that no changes to VRBPAC were planned “at this time.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the summer removed all members of the vaccine advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing conflicts of interest. While the health secretary chooses members of that panel, the commissioner of the FDA selects members of VRBPAC.

Offit helped invent a rotavirus vaccine that was later sold for $182 million. He regularly champions vaccines, including at his blog, where he has accused Kennedy of carrying out “a reign of terror on vaccines” and criticized recent FDA decisions, including the agency’s narrowing of its approvals for COVID-19 vaccines.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Offit also recommended the FDA approve the vaccines, advised government officials to count prior immunity as equivalent to one or more vaccine doses, and diverged from the Biden administration’s promotion of boosters for all.

The only VRBPAC meeting since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 took place in May. Advisers discussed choosing which influenza strain flu vaccines should target later in the year. Offit did not attend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect clarification on VRBPAC membership provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.