The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has green-lit AstraZeneca’s nasal flu vaccine that can be self-administered without a health care provider.
On Friday, the FDA announced that it approved FluMist for the prevention of influenza subtypes A and B in individuals aged 2 to 49 years old.
FluMist is a nasal spray and has been used “safely and effectively for many years,” having initially been approved in 2003 for people aged 5 to 49, the FDA said.
The FDA later approved it in 2007 for children 2 to 5 years old.
“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,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Getting vaccinated each year is the best way to prevent influenza, which causes illness in a substantial proportion of the U.S. population every year and may result in serious complications, including hospitalization and death.”…