WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2002 (HealthDayNews) --If you have always skipped getting a flu shot each year because you hate being stuck like a pin cushion, a painless vaccine that has moved closer to approval may be just the thing for you.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that no further clinical trials are needed for FluMist, an inhaled vaccine developed by Hunein "John" Maassab after more than 40 years of research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The FDA has asked for additional information about the product as part of the process to decide whether the vaccine will be approved for the general public.
Influenza kills about 20,000 people in the United States each year and sends 114,000 to the hospital.
MedImmune, a Gaithersburg, Md.-based company, has licensed the rights to FluMist from the University of Michigan, and has a marketing agreement with pharmaceutical giant Wyeth.
More Information
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has all the facts about influenza.
