The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved AstraZeneca’s bid to sell its nasal spray flu vaccine, FluMist, for home administration.
From autumn 2025, people who want to order the vaccine and give it to themselves or their children at home will be able to do so.
FluMist is the only flu vaccine that is administered via a nasal spray and not via an injection. It is approved for people between the ages of 2 and 49. This FDA approval makes it the only flu vaccine in the United States that can be administered at home and does not need to be administered by a healthcare professional.
“Today’s approval of the first flu vaccine for self- or caregiver administration provides a new option for receiving a safe and effective seasonal flu vaccine, potentially with greater convenience, flexibility and accessibility for individuals and families,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA. Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, it said in a statement.
While the vaccine will remain available through doctor’s offices and pharmacies for administration by a healthcare provider, this new option means it can be ordered for home use as long as it is administered by a person 18 years of age or older.
Supplies for home administration are ordered through an online portal, FluMist Home. Individuals must complete an online questionnaire, which will be reviewed by a pharmacist to determine eligibility for self-administration; those who are approved will have their vaccine delivered.
“The approval of FluMist for self-administration is an important step forward in making vaccines more accessible to combat the high annual flu burden,” Iskra Reic, AstraZeneca’s executive vice president for vaccines and immunotherapies, said in a statement.
Side effects reported after receiving FluMist include fever over 40 degrees Fahrenheit in children ages 2 through 6, runny nose and nasal congestion in those ages 2 through 49, and sore throat in adults ages 18 to with 49 years.