Self-Administered Flu Vaccine May be “Powerful Tool” in Immunization Efforts, Says Expert

In October 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration accepted AstraZeneca's supplemental biologic license application (sBLA) for approval of a self- or caregiver-administered option for the company's influenza vaccine live, intranasal (Flumist Quadrivalent). The sBLA was supported by a usability study that confirmed that persons aged 18 years and older could self-administer or administer the vaccine to eligible patients aged 2 to 49 years.

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date is expected during the first quarter of 2024, and if approved, the influenza vaccine would be the only one available to be self-administered by eligible patients or given by caregivers.

With the PDUFA date approaching, Patient Care Online sat down with Ravi Jhaveri, MD, division head, Infectious Disease; Virginia H. Rogers professor in infectious diseases, professor of pediatrics, Northwestern University School of Medicine, to discuss the vaccine's potential to help increase vaccination rates, the impact on primary care practices, and more.