The FDA has paved the way for flu vaccines that can be given at home.
A self-administered version of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s FluMist was approved by regulators on Friday for home administration to patients aged between 2 and 49. The spray, available through doctor’s appointments since 2003, is roughly as effective as the injected vaccine.
“The approval of self-administration of FluMist is an important step forward in making our vaccine more accessible to combat the significant annual burden of influenza,” AstraZeneca executive Iskra Raik said in a statement.
According to the CDC, while confidence in the flu vaccine is higher than many other vaccinations, fewer than half of U.S. adults said they would like to get the shot for the 2023-24 flu season. Vaccination rates have fallen in recent years as health care inequities and vaccine apathy have led patients to skip shots.
FluMist still requires a prescription but can be self-administered by adults or given to children over age 2. The vaccine will also be available to prescribe through online pharmacies, which the vaccine maker said it plans to launch before the next flu season to make it easier for customers to get.
The spray is generally free for most Americans with insurance, but details on the price of a self-administered dose were not immediately available.
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