The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first nasal spray flu vaccine which can be administered by the patient or a caregiver. FluMist, produced by European pharmaceutical company and Covid vaccine-maker AstraZeneca , was announced last week and can be used by adults aged 49 and under. With the assistance of a parent or caregiver, children and teenagers between the ages of two and 17 can also take the vaccine .
FluMist was initially approved by the agency in 2003 for individuals between the ages of five and 49, and has been used safely for years by medical professionals. In 2007, the FDA expanded its use to include children between the ages of two and five years old. Hundreds of millions of doses have been distributed around the world since the spray was first approved.
FluMist will still require a prescription and will be available from an online pharmacy next fall. While patients can still receive FluMist in offices and pharmacies, AstraZeneca said it would launch a website where users can fill out a questionnaire to get the vaccine. Those answers will be reviewed by a pharmacist before the treatment is shipped out.
The current out-of-pocket cost for a dose ranges between $35 and $45, but it may cost less depending a patient’s insurance coverage, according to The New York Times . Dr Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said on Friday that the approval provides more convenience, flexibility, and accessibilit.