MedImmune Receives FDA Approval for Self-Administered Flu Vaccine

By Connor Hart

AstraZeneca's MedImmune has received Food and Drug Administration approval for FluMist, an influenza vaccine that can be administered either by oneself or by a healthcare provider.

FluMist, which is sprayed into the nose, has been approved for the prevention of influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B in individuals between the ages of two and 49, the FDA said Friday.

The vaccine, which according to the FDA is the first flu-preventing vaccine that doesn't need to be administered by a healthcare provider, was initially approved in 2003 for people ages five to 49. In 2007, the FDA approved the use of FluMist to include children between two and five.

The approval follows a study in which the instructions for use were evaluated to gauge whether both recipients and caregivers could safely and effectively use the vaccine.

The flu has resulted in between 9.3 million and 41 million illnesses, between 100,000 and 710,000 hospitalizations and between 4,900 and 51,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2023, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 20, 2024 12:58 ET (16:58 GMT)

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