FDA Approves First Self-Administered Flu Vaccine: Daily Dose

Patient Care brings primary care clinicians a lot of medical news every day—it’s easy to miss an important study. The Daily Dose provides a concise summary of one of the website's leading stories you may not have seen.

On September 20, 2024, we reported on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of FluMist (influenza vaccine live, intranasal; AstraZeneca), for self- or caregiver-administration.

The approval

FluMist is the first influenza vaccine that does not require administration by a health care professional. FluMist is already approved for the prevention of influenza caused by subtypes A and B in individuals aged 2 to 49 years. Individuals can still receive the vaccine from a health care professional in a health care setting, including the pharmacy, or administer it themselves or via a caregiver aged 18 years and older. Those who choose self- or caregiver administration will receive the vaccine from a third-party online pharmacy, along with instructions for use and storage, administration, and disposal.

The FDA's decision comes after a supplemental biologic license application (sBLA) was submitted by AstraZeneca in October 2023. The sBLA was supported by a usability study confirming the vaccine's feasibility.

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