United States: The FDA announced on Friday that it has given approval for AstraZeneca’s nasal spray flu vaccine, which can be implemented by people on their own, thus becoming the first on the market.
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As per the health agency, FluMist is the first vaccine to work against influenza that does not require its administration by a healthcare provider.
Flu, a common sickness is caused by influenza virus. Moreover, it is commonly prevalent in the US especially in the early fall and winter, according to Reuters.
Additionally, AstraZeneca is planning to have a bigger scope of the vaccine supply by making it available for online pharmacy to administer the vaccine and this will not need a physician’s prescription.
FluMist will require customers to undergo a screening and determine their eligibility to receive the vaccine.
The approval offers a new possibility of getting a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine, potentially with better practicability, availability, and accommodation to people and families, according to Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
More about the vaccine
Licensed in 2003 it is a live influenza virus strain attenuated and administered intranasally in the form of a spray which was originally prescribed to care health workers only.
According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the flu has resulted in upto 9. This according to the data from Reuters was 3 to 41 million in terms of yearly illnesses, 100,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations and 4,900 to 51,000 deaths annually during the 2010-2013 period.
The FDA said that FluMist should not be inhaled by people, who are 17 years old or younger, or administered but used a carer to do it.
Some of the companies that also include flu vaccines in their portfolio are GSK, Sanofi, and CSL.