Your support helps us tell the story
Click here for detailsClose
As a White House correspondent, I ask hard questions and want important answers.
Your support allows me to stand in the chamber and speak for transparency and accountability. Without your support, I would not have the resources to take on those in power.
Your donation allows us to continue our important work of keeping you informed every step of the way leading up to the November election.
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first nasal spray influenza vaccine that can be administered by the patient or caregiver.
FluMist, made by European pharmaceutical company and COVID-19 vaccine maker AstraZeneca, was announced last week and can be used by adults aged 49 and under.
Children and young people aged 2 to 17 can also get the vaccine with the support of a parent or guardian.
FluMist was first approved by the FDA in 2003 for individuals between the ages of 5 and 49 and has been used safely by medical professionals for years. In 2007, the FDA expanded the use of FluMist to children between the ages of 2 and 5.
Hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine have been distributed around the world since the spray was first approved.
FluMist still requires a prescription and is expected to be available for purchase through online pharmacies next fall.
Pictured is AstraZeneca’s FluMist nasal spray, the first flu vaccine approved for self-administration or by a caregiver, an approval that the Food and Drug Administration said could provide convenience and flexibility for Americans. (AstraZeneca/AFP via Getty Images)
Patients can still receive FluMist at doctor’s offices and pharmacies, but AstraZeneca said it will launch a website where users can fill out a questionnaire to get the vaccine, whose answers will be reviewed by a pharmacist before the treatment is dispatched.
Currently, out-of-pocket costs for a single dose range from $35 to $45, but could be lower depending on a patient’s insurance coverage, according to The New York Times.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said Friday that the authorization will increase convenience, flexibility and access for individuals and families who want to get the seasonal flu shot.
“Getting vaccinated annually is the best way to prevent influenza, which causes illness in a significant percentage of Americans each year and can lead to serious complications, including hospitalization and death,” he said.
Seasonal influenza viruses are found in the United States year-round but tend to spread more frequently during the fall and winter.
Eight-year-old Chris Diaz receives an H1N1 influenza nasal spray vaccine from a nurse in Miami, Florida, in October 2009. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 6 months or older get the flu vaccine every year. Children are especially vulnerable. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Being indoors makes people more susceptible to contagious respiratory illnesses, and cold temperatures and low humidity make it harder for the immune system to function properly.
Influenza can cause mild to severe illness and, in some cases, death. It’s not known exactly how many people die from seasonal flu each year, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2022, about 6,000 people died from it.
Influenza infections usually increase in October and peak between December and February. Children and adults over 65 years of age are most susceptible to infection.
The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccination for everyone over the age of 6 months. Most flu vaccines are given to patients as a shot in the arm. The vaccine protects patients against the four flu strains that researchers consider to be most common during the season.
