WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- People with a fear of hypodermic needles got a proverbial shot in the arm late Tuesday when the first inhaled flu vaccine to be marketed in the United States was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency said FluMist is safe and effective in preventing influenza A and B in people from ages 5 to 49. Children up to age 8 need two doses at least six weeks apart, while older people need a single dose, the FDA said.
But since the vaccine is made from a weakened live virus, people considered at highest risk of getting a severe case of the flu -- the elderly, young children, and those with immune (e.g. AIDS) and respiratory (e.g. asthma) diseases -- should not take the inhaled vaccine, the agency warned. These people are urged to get the injected vaccine instead.
FluMist, produced by MedImmune Vaccines Inc., was tested on more than 20,000 people, including more than 10,000 children ages 5 to 17. The vaccine was 87 percent effective among the children tested, the FDA said.
Prominent side effects included nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and cough. As is the case with the standard flu shot, the nasal vaccine should not be taken by people allergic to eggs.
For more about FluMist, check this press release from its marketer,
Wyeth. For more about the flu, visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
