February 12, 2026
The Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), in collaboration with the AMA announced on February 10 the start of a structured, evidence-based review process to assess vaccine safety and effectiveness for the 2026–27 respiratory virus season. The review will focus on immunizations for influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Building on the evidence review completed for the 2025–26 season, this new effort will establish a process for evaluating the science underpinning respiratory virus immunization.
The VIP, based at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), and the AMA will convene leading medical professional societies, as well as public health and healthcare organizations, to help define a comprehensive set of policy questions.
The goal of the work is to ensure a deliberative, evidence-driven approach to produce the data necessary to understand the risks and benefits of vaccine policy decisions for all populations—the approach traditionally used by the federal government.
For decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) served as the engine of evidence-based vaccine policy in the U.S. That system has now effectively collapsed. This new initiative will follow a rigorous process that includes:
Structured discussions to define key policy questions
Ongoing expert panels and monthly scientific meetings
Systematic literature reviews and evidence summaries
Comparative analyses across vaccines and populations
Data transparency, including a public protocol, allowing the results to be independently verified
To begin, the VIP and the AMA will meet with medical societies to determine important policy questions that this process will seek to answer. From there, the VIP will begin to assemble comprehensive scientific evidence briefs for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV by reviewing, extracting, and synthesizing the newest published data on virology, epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness, and vaccine safety and will update medical societies about its findings.
These briefs will be provided to participating medical societies to develop and disseminate immunization guidance for their respective populations. As appropriate, societies will supplement the shared evidence base with population-specific data, such as guidance for pregnant women, children, older adults, immunocompromised individuals, and otherwise healthy adults.
Participants in the evidence review process will disclose relevant conflicts of interest, and the VIP’s review work will be independently funded through philanthropy. The goal is to ensure that clinicians have access to credible, up-to-date evidence to inform patient care that is backed by the experts of our professional societies—even as the broader vaccine policy infrastructure in the United States remains under strain.
April 9, 2026
An amended piece of legislation that would exempt buprenorphine from prior authorization (PA) was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 9.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard a bill that would require coverage for psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) services under Medical Assistance.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the House Taxes Committee heard legislation focused on supporting the financial stability and ongoing operations of Hennepin Healthcare.