AstraZeneca has just scored big on the quest to make routine vaccinations less of a hassle.
The FDA has signed off on the British drugmaker’s influenza vaccine FluMist for self-administration by adults up to 49 years old and for administration by a parent or caregiver in kids between the ages of 2 and 17.
With the green light, FluMist—which has been approved since 2003 and comes in a convenient nasal spray format—now bears the distinction of being the only flu vaccine people in the U.S. can administer themselves. Previously, FluMist had to be given by a healthcare practitioner.
The FDA based its approval on results from an FluMist usability study that showed adults could dose themselves with the vaccine or administer the immunization to others, AZ said in a release.
“The approval of FluMist for self-administration is an important step forward in making vaccines more accessible to fight the high annual burden of influenza,” Iskra Reic, executive vice president of vaccines and immune therapeutics at AZ, said in a statement.
Once the self-administered product becomes available, adults will be able to get FluMist delivered directly through a service dubbed FluMist Home, which AZ says will leverage an online pharmacy. The vaccine will also remain available for administration by a healthcare professional in doctors’ offices and pharmacies, the company noted.
While FluMist has a unique edge as the only nasal spray flu vaccine on the U.S. market, inoculations in general declined sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid this backdrop, AZ looked for opportunities to boost vaccination rates, Lisa Glasser, AZ’s head of U.S. medical affairs for vaccines and immune therapies, told Fierce Pharma last year.
The company cited a survey that found failure to attend routine doctor visits was one major factor in the vaccination rate drop. The survey also suggested that access to at-home immunization options could potentially boost flu vaccination stats.
When the FDA accepted AZ’s application for self-administered FluMist last year, the company had originally said it expected a decision in the first quarter of 2024. At the time, AZ said it planned to launch the do-it-yourself vaccine for the 2024-25 flu season.