The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced Friday it has permitted the primary flu vaccine that may be self-administered, with this model being a nasal spray versus an injection.
The vaccine FluMist, manufactured by MedImmune, which was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2007, was first permitted by the FDA in 2003 for people between 5 and 49 years of age. Its approval has since been expanded to incorporate kids as younger as two years outdated.
With the FDA’s announcement Friday, FluMist is formally the primary flu vaccine that may be administered and not using a healthcare supplier’s involvement. The spray accommodates a weakened type of flu virus strains and nonetheless requires a prescription. It may be administered by “the vaccine recipient or a caregiver who is 18 years of age or older.”
“Today’s approval of the first influenza vaccine for self- or caregiver-administration provides a new option for receiving a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine potentially with greater convenience, flexibility and accessibility for individuals and families,” Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Heart for Biologics Analysis and Analysis, stated in a press release.
In accordance the FDA, AstraZeneca plans to make FluMist out there via a third-party on-line pharmacy.
“Those who choose this option will complete a screening and eligibility assessment when they order FluMist,” the company said. “The third-party pharmacy determines eligibility based on the completed screening and, if it is determined that the intended vaccine recipient is eligible, the pharmacy writes the prescription and ships the vaccine to the address provided by the individual who placed the order.”
Iskra Reic, government vice chairman of vaccines and immune therapies at AstraZeneca, stated in a press release, “The approval of FluMist for self-administration is an important step forward in making vaccines more accessible to fight the high annual burden of influenza.”
Nationally, flu vaccination charges within the U.S. have been dropping because the COVID-19 pandemic with charges dropping beneath 50 p.c within the 2022-2023 flu season.
