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Osterholm Update

Episode 203: Somebody to Lean On

Osterholm Update

CIDRAP

Science

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

<p dir="ltr">In "Somebody to Lean On," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss vaccine updates including the FDA’s back-and-forth on the Moderna vaccine, leadership shake-ups at institutions like the CDC, and the current state of measles in the US. Dr. Osterholm will also bring you a respiratory virus update, including current vaccine guidance for flu, COVID and RSV.&nbsp;<br><br><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/cidrap-op-ed-fda-refused-review-flu-vaccine-contrary-evidence-now-agency"><strong>Op-Ed: The FDA refused to review a flu vaccine, contrary to evidence. Now the agency reversed itself</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong>(CIDRAP)&nbsp;<br><br><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/state-us-vaccine-policy"><strong>The State of US Vaccine Policy</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong>(CIDRAP and Unbiased Science)<br><br><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobial-stewardship/dentists-still-write-millions-prescriptions-year-antibiotic-life"><strong>Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for an antibiotic with life-threatening risks</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong>(CIDRAP)<br>&nbsp;</p> <p>Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:</p> <p><a href="https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/get-involved/"><strong>Voices for Vaccines</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://familiesfightingflu.org/take-action/"><strong>Families Fighting Flu</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://vaccinateyourfamily.org/get-involved/"><strong>Vaccinate Your Family</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://shotatlife.org/take-action/"><strong>Shot@Life</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/MRC/Pages/index.aspx"><strong>Medical Reserve Corps</strong></a></p> <p>Learn more about the <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-integrity-project"><strong>Vaccine Integrity Project</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/osterholm-update-covid-19"><strong>MORE EPISODES</strong></a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/support-cidrap"><strong>SUPPORT THIS PODCAST</strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Music:</strong></p> <p>"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)<br>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p>

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello and welcome to the Oström Update, a podcast about infectious diseases and public health,

0:13.8

featuring Dr. Michael Osterholm.

0:17.0

Dr. Ostrome is an internationally recognized medical detective and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or Sidrap, at the University of Minnesota.

0:26.7

In this podcast, Dr. Ostrome draws an over 50 years of experience in infectious disease epidemiology to provide straight talk on the latest infectious disease outbreaks,

0:40.6

counter misinformation and disinformation about vaccines,

0:46.0

and distill the complex and ever-evolving public health threats facing our world.

0:49.5

I'm Chris Dahl, reporter for Sidrapp News,

1:00.6

and I'm your host for these conversations. Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Ostorm Update podcast.

1:05.0

A little more than two weeks ago, vaccine maker, Moderna, shared news that the Food and Drug

1:09.6

Administration had refused to review

1:11.6

its application for the approval of its new MRNA-based flu vaccine.

1:16.4

The reason provided by the FDA was that the company's phase three trial for the vaccine,

1:21.1

which included 40,000 adults, did not provide the, quote, best available standard of care,

1:26.3

unquote, for the placebo group.

1:28.4

The decision was widely criticized by public health and infectious disease experts and sent

1:33.0

shockwaves through the biopharmaceutical industry, which had already been putting the

1:37.0

brakes on investment in vaccine development in response to the Trump administration's increasingly

1:41.4

hostile position on vaccines. There will be less invention,

1:46.2

investment, and innovation in vaccines generally across all the companies. Dr. Stephen Hogue,

1:51.7

President of Moderna, told the New York Times. The good news is that one week later,

1:57.4

the FDA reversed course, saying it would review modernist vaccine after meeting with

2:01.6

company officials. But the episode raises larger questions about what exactly is going on at the

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