Strengthening advisory committees for public health
What is an advisory committee?
Federal health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rely on external groups of experts to provide evidence-based guidance on key policy decisions—from vaccine schedules and food labeling to drug approval processes and safety regulations.
The advisory committees, created by Congress, presidents, or government agencies, enable agencies to:
- expand beyond their internal expertise
- ensure transparency of agency deliberations
- provide opportunity for public input
- support public trust in government decision-making.
Advisory committees are regulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the statute defining how federal advisory committees operate.
FACA requires:
- advisory committees to host meetings open to the public, announced at least 15 days in advance in the Federal Register
- meeting minutes, transcripts, and other documents made available to the public
- balanced membership with different points of view
- an approved and filed charter that is generally renewed every two years
- the designation of a federal officer (DFO) to call and attend all meetings, adjourn meetings, and ensure compliance with the Act.
The importance of advisory committees
CSPI publications
- Conflicts of interest in federal vaccine advisory committees
- FDA review of Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine—regulatory integrity and deviations from standard practice
- Suggestions for improving conflict of interest processes in the US Food and Drug Administration advisory committees—past imperfect
- Toward greater transparency at FDA
Advocacy
Testimony at FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting on peptide compounding
Testimony opposing the proposed inclusion of the seven bulk peptide drug substances in the 503A Bulks List
Read more
Testimony at FDA listening session on advisory committees
Testimony of Peter Lurie, president of CSPI
Read moreCSPI in the news
- Peptide compounding empowers ‘charlatans,’ undermines safety
- Opinion | The Peptide Wild West - The New York Times
- Peptide boom has states scrambling to protect consumers, Post investigation finds - The Washington Post
- An FDA Committee Just Voted in Favor of Peptides—Despite the Agency's Opposition - TIME
- FDA panel recommends loosening regulations for some peptides amid surge in interest - CBS News
- FDA Panel Supports Lifting Restrictions on Four Peptides - The New York Times
- What's the deal with peptides? The hyped market under US review - Medical Xpress
- US panel backs trendy peptides despite safety concerns - Yahoo! News
- FDA raised conflict of interest concerns ahead of new peptide panel - The Washington Post
- FDA to weigh looser rules on unproven peptides touted by RFK Jr., MAHA - Los Angeles Times
- Conflicts of interest at CDC's ACIP were at 'historic low' when RFK Jr. purged former members: study - Fierce Pharma
- Despite RFK Jr claims, conflicts of interest among federal vaccine advisers very low, study finds - CIDRAP
Insights and updates on vaccine policy
View the home of The Straight Shot, a regular update on emerging federal vaccine issues.
Our team
Peter Lurie, MD, MPH
President and Executive Director
Isabella Xu
Policy Associate