FluMist

FluMist is the product name of a nasal spray flu vaccine manufactured by MedImmune, Inc. that was introduced in 2003. It was the first and (as of 2006) the only live attenuated vaccine for influenza (and is also called Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine(LAIV)).

FluMist was originally developed by Hunein "John" Maassab, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan and later by Aviron under the sponsorship of NIH in the mid-1990s. MedImmune, Inc. purchased Aviron in 2002, and the FDA approved FluMist in June of 2003. FluMist was first made available in September 2003.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new vaccine only for healthy people ages 5 to 49, unlike the injectable vaccines, which are approved for people over 6 months of age, because of concerns over side effects. Healthy people are the group least likely to suffer serious complications from catching the flu, and have traditionally been discouraged from taking flu shots, particularly early in the season.

FluMist is more expensive than the injectable vaccine, and sold only 500,000 of the 4 million doses it produced its first year on the market, despite a comparative shortage of flu vaccine in fall 2004. The company reports distributing 1.6 million doses in 2005. Despite selling almost three times as many doses in 2005, the company reported $21 million in FluMist sales, compared to $48 million the previous year.

Noninferiority tests against injected (killed virus) vaccinations have showed the vaccine more effective at preventing influenza in children aged 6 to 17 but a smaller study in adults showed significantly lower effectiveness in adults. MedImmune has developed a new version of the vaccine, called CAIV-T, which does not require storage in a freezer. The FDA approved CAIV-T for the same age group (ages 5-49) in August 2006 following completion of phase 3 clinical trials. CAIV-T is expected to be on the market in fall of 2007.

In June 2006, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began enrolling participants in a Phase 1 H5N1 study of an intranasal influenza vaccine candidate based on MedImmune's live, attenuated vaccine technology.