In an effort to make the vaccine accessible to an increased population, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved FluMist, a nasal spray vaccine from AstraZeneca, for administration at home. Until now, FluMist has only been administered since 2003 to people aged 2 to 49 in healthcare settings, and now it is coming with the option of administration by others to adults as well as children, such as family members or friends.
AstraZeneca will make this vaccine available through a third-party online pharmacy for administration in the patient’s home, after a screening and eligibility assessment, to determine prescription and shipment. This means home administration should be ready for use during the upcoming respiratory virus season.
Today’s approval of the first influenza vaccine for self- or caregiver-administration provides a new option for getting a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine with greater convenience and accessibility for individuals and families,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Annual vaccination is one of the essential steps against influenza infection, which hits millions of people in the US and turns deadly at times with hospitalization and other grave health conditions.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, estimated that at least 35 million illnesses, 400,000 hospitalizations, and 25,000 deaths occurred due to influenza during the 2023-24 season. The CDC recommends that all individuals older than 6 months should be vaccinated against the flu every year. However, vaccination levels have decreased in recent times, and last season saw less than half of adults and children being vaccinated.
The only needle-free flu vaccine available in the United States is FluMist, which relies on the power of a live, weakened virus to create immunity. Injectable vaccines rely on killed viruses or proteins. Now that the FDA has granted approval to allow self-administration – a move welcomed by most in the field, including Brown University’s Dr. Ashish Jha – people are still cautioned that it’s unlikely vaccination rates will dramatically increase, but it will increase awareness and accessibility for those who abhor needles.
This is an overall step in the forward direction toward higher flu vaccine rates as well as enhanced public health.
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