Share on Pinterest Is the FDA’s recently approved at-home nasal vaccine, FluMist, as effective at preventing illness as a traditional flu shot? Michael Buckner/Getty Images for FluMist Quadrivalent The FDA has approved an at-home nasal flu vaccine. FluMist will be sold by online pharmacies for people ages 2 to 49, except for young children, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems. Experts say this will broaden access to flu shots, making them safer for more people. However, injectable vaccines are safer for a wider range of people.
On September 20, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved a nasal spray influenza (flu) vaccine for at-home use.
The vaccine, FluMist, is administered by the recipient or a caregiver and is sprayed into the nose.
FluMist prevents the development of influenza caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B. It can be given to people between the ages of 2 and 49.
But the intranasal flu vaccine isn’t an entirely new drug: It was first approved for use in people between the ages of 5 and 49 in 2003. Then, in 2007, the FDA gave approval to lower the minimum age to 2 years.
The vaccine is now the first flu vaccine that can be administered without the help of a medical professional.
The FDA has said vaccine manufacturers will make the vaccine available through third-party online pharmacies.
To get FluMist, you must go through a screening process, and then the pharmacy will prescribe and ship the vaccine.
Influenza vaccines play a key role in controlling seasonal influenza epidemics. On average, about 700,000 people die from respiratory and cardiovascular complications each year. However, before the development of vaccines, influenza was much more deadly.
Although most people only experience relatively mild symptoms, influenza is a highly contagious disease that can spread to other people.
Seniors, young children and people with certain medical conditions are most at risk, according to the FDA.
Having FluMist available could help more people get vaccinated, helping to protect those at higher risk.
“Injected vaccines consist of inactivated (dead) virus or virus particles, whereas FluMist is a live attenuated (or weakened) flu vaccine that is administered via nasal spray,” he said.
Some studies have shown FluMist to be more effective at preventing infection and severe illness than the injectable vaccine, Handel said, but not all studies have been consistent.
John Rowe, MD, a physician who focuses on preventive medicine at Restore Care, added to Handel’s comments, saying, “This approach has the advantage of inducing a more physiological interaction with the immune system, whereas an injection just gives the body a dead virus and the body mounts an immune response to it.”
Lowe added that another way FluMist differs from injectable vaccines is that it cannot be given to anyone under the age of two or over the age of 49.
“The injectables are being put in place for people in high-risk groups,” he said, explaining that they are even being used for people who are immunocompromised.
Additionally, Lowe said, because the influenza virus enters the body through the nose, nasal administration of FluMist may be even more effective at preventing alveolar respiratory tract infections.
“On the other hand, injectables provide more consistent efficacy against pandemic and seasonal influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” he added.
Finally, Rowe noted that while both the injectable vaccine and FluMist can provide immunity against the influenza virus, the injectable vaccine is still recommended as the first choice because it is safe for the majority of the population.
“The approval of FluMist for self-administration at home is a major step forward for the FDA,” Handel said, explaining that many people neglect to get vaccinated because of obstacles such as having to take their children out of school to get vaccinated.
“Any effort to make the vaccine more accessible will help increase vaccination rates and keep more people safe,” he said.
Rowe agreed, calling the FDA’s approval of FluMist “a welcome step forward.”
He noted that a self-administered intranasal influenza vaccine could also be useful in arid regions and areas with inadequate health facilities.
However, Rowe warned that FluMist isn’t suitable for everyone, especially those with weakened immune systems.
“We need to evaluate patients and establish that it’s OK to recommend FluMist,” he said.
The FDA has announced that it has approved an at-home nasal flu vaccine that is administered as a nasal spray.
It can be used by people between the ages of 2 and 49. However, it is not suitable for very young children, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems.
The injectable remains the vaccine of choice as it is safe for the majority of the population.
FluMist will be available through online pharmacies that write prescriptions and deliver the medication to people’s homes.
Experts say FluMist can make flu shots more accessible to people who might otherwise have difficulty getting to a medical facility, which could help increase the number of people who get vaccinated.
