The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first self-administered seasonal influenza vaccine – AstraZeneca’s FluMist. FluMist has been available in the US since 2003, but beginning next year, the nasal spray vaccine will also be available for self-administration. This approval increases the accessibility of seasonal influenza vaccines and has the potential to increase vaccine uptake.

FluMist is approved for use in the US in children and adults aged two through 49 years. It is the only seasonal influenza vaccine to be delivered intranasally, which makes it a great option for those who may be needle-phobic.

According to leading data and analytics company GlobalData, the influenza virus was responsible for at least 2.1 million illnesses, 21,000 hospitalisations, and 4,700 deaths during the 2023-24 US influenza season. Vaccination against the influenza virus remains the most important intervention in the prevention of influenza-associated complications, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older receives a vaccination each influenza season.

FluMist is a live-attenuated influenza vaccine: It is manufactured using a live, weakened version of the influenza virus. This differentiates FluMist from traditional injectable vaccines, which are manufactured using either killed viruses, proteins, or cell-culturing methods. All are effective methods of protection against the seasonal influenza virus.

As part of AstraZeneca’s submission to the FDA, human factors/usability studies were conducted. These studies evaluated whether adults 18 through 49 years of age could properly administer FluMist when given instructions for use. The results of these studies showed that 100% of users were able to administer a full dose. Further, the results of the studies showed that efficacy, immunogenicity, and adverse events associated with self-administration of FluMist were similar to those associated with healthcare provider-based administration. Children two through 17 years of age can receive the vaccination from a parent/caregiver.

FluMist’s approval for self- or caregiver-administration provides patients with increased accessibility to the seasonal influenza vaccine. It also provides patients with increased flexibility to receive the vaccine at their convenience, and in turn, has the potential to increase uptake of the seasonal influenza vaccine.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

View profiles in store

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData

Submit

UK USA Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Côte d"Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates US Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam British Virgin Islands US Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Kosovo

Industry * Academia & Education Aerospace, Defense & Security Agriculture Asset Management Automotive Banking & Payments Chemicals Construction Consumer Foodservice Government, trade bodies and NGOs Health & Fitness Hospitals & Healthcare HR, Staffing & Recruitment Insurance Investment Banking Legal Services Management Consulting Marketing & Advertising Media & Publishing Medical Devices Mining Oil & Gas Packaging Pharmaceuticals Power & Utilities Private Equity Real Estate Retail Sport Technology Telecom Transportation & Logistics Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Venture Capital

Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Clinical Trials Arena.

Submit and download

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

To access FluMist for self-administration, AstraZeneca plans to utilise a third-party online pharmacy. Following a screening and eligibility assessment, the online pharmacy will prescribe and ship the vaccine to the patient’s home. AstraZeneca expects this option to be available for the 2025-26 influenza season.

According to GlobalData, the US vaccination rate for seasonal influenza during the 2023-24 season was estimated to be 47%, and this rate is only expected to increase marginally over the coming years. Further, according to GlobalData’s survey of high-prescribing physicians in the US, the percentages of patients vaccinated against seasonal influenza who were administered FluMist during the 2022-23 season were 2.2% of children two to four years of age, 13.4% of children five to 17 years of age, and 3.4% of adults 18-49 years of age. This survey was conducted in June 2023 and included 23 high-prescribing physicians based in the US.

By increasing access to FluMist, there is potential for these percentages to increase. It is possible that we will see an increase in FluMist’s US flu vaccine patient share, given the convenient route of administration and ease of access, as well as an overall increase in seasonal influenza vaccine uptake.