7 Reasons to pick FluMist® (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal)

Help more kids pick their nose to fight the flu.

For the 2011-2012 influenza season, the CDC/ACIP* recommendations are simple and clear: all eligible people aged 6 months and older should receive an annual flu vaccination.1 Yet, according to the CDC, in the past few years, less than half of those in groups recommended for influenza vaccination have gotten vaccinated.2,3 Please note, see the specific prescribing information for each manufacturer's influenza vaccine, as not all influenza vaccines are indicated for all ages.
Scroll down to see full Important Safety Information.

This flu season, you can offer your patients a choice: a shot in the arm, or a spray in the nose. FluMist is indicated for immunization of eligible patients ages 2-49. And there are many reasons to feel good about encouraging your patients to pick their nose:

  • FluMist demonstrated significant reductions in influenza versus the flu shot in children aged 24-59 months — against both matched and mismatched strains.4-6
    Children 24-59 months old receiving the flu shot were 2 times more likely to get the flu vs. those who received FluMist (9.8% vs. 4.5%).† Learn more about efficacy in childrenarrow

  • More than 80% of children 2-18 years old may be eligible candidates for FluMist.1,2,7-10
    FluMist may not protect all individuals receiving the vaccine. FluMist is for intranasal administration only. Approximately 20% of children may have exclusionary conditions that preclude them from getting FluMist.

    Learn more about who may be a candidatearrow

  • FluMist is engineered to promote immunity, not cause disease.1,11,12
    According to the CDC/ACIP, LAIV (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine) or FluMist transmission from a recently vaccinated person causing clinically important illness in an immunocompromised contact has not been reported to date.

    Learn more about how FluMist worksarrow

  • FluMist helped provide protection for children 24-35 months of age that lasted through the end of the influenza season.13,14

  • In over 7,000 kids 2-6 years old studied, FluMist had a safety profile generally comparable to the flu shot and placebo.4
    The most common adverse reactions (≥10% in FluMist and at least 5% greater than in control) are runny nose or nasal congestion in all ages and fever >100°F in children 2-6 years old (and sore throat in adults).

    Learn more about the vaccine safety and tolerability arrow

  • Since 2003, more than 40 million doses of FluMist have been manufactured and distributed in the United States.13

  • Most patients who have flu vaccination coverage also have coverage for FluMist.13

*CDC/ACIP = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

†Data are representative of the indicated population (children aged 24 months to 59 months); full study population is represented in the Prescribing Information and the New England Journal of Medicine, February 2007. Injectable influenza vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Study design: Randomized, double-blind, double-dummy comparison of the relative efficacy of FluMist and TIV intramuscular injection.

Important Safety Information

FluMist® (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal) is a vaccine indicated for active immunization of individuals 2-49 years of age against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine.

FluMist is contraindicated in individuals with history of hypersensitivity to eggs, egg proteins, gentamicin, gelatin or arginine or with life-threatening reactions to previous influenza vaccinations, and in children and adolescents receiving concomitant aspirin or aspirin-containing therapy.

Do not administer FluMist to children <24 months of age due to an increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing that was observed in clinical trials. FluMist should not be administered to any individual with asthma and to children <5 years of age with recurrent wheezing unless the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk. Do not administer FluMist to individuals with severe asthma or active wheezing.

If Guillain-Barré syndrome has occurred with prior influenza vaccination, the decision to give FluMist should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks. Data supporting the safety and effectiveness of FluMist administration in immunocompromised individuals are limited. FluMist should not be administered to individuals with underlying medical conditions predisposing them to wild-type influenza infection complications unless the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk. FluMist should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Most common adverse reactions (occurring at ≥10% in individuals receiving FluMist and at least 5% greater than in placebo) are runny nose or nasal congestion in recipients of all ages, fever >100°F in children 2-6 years of age, and sore throat in adults.

FluMist may not protect all individuals receiving the vaccine. FluMist is for intranasal administration only.

Please see accompanying complete Prescribing Information, including Patient Information [PDF PDF].

References
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention and control of influenza with vaccines: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on lmmunization Practices (ACIP), 2010. MMWR. 2010 Aug 6;59(RR-8):1-62.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim estimates of cumulative influenza vaccination coverage for 2010-11 season. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/reporti1011/reportII. Accessed July 15, 2011.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim results: State-specific influenza vaccination coverage - United States, August 2010-February 2011. MMWR. 2011 June 10;60:737-743.
  4. FluMist [package insert]. Gaithersburg, MD: Medlmmune, LLC.
  5. Belshe RB, Edwards KM, Vesikari T, et al. Live attenuated versus inactivated influenza vaccine in infants and young children. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:685-696.
  6. Belshe RB, Ambrose CS, Yi T. Safety and efficacy of live attenuated influenza vaccine in children 2-7 years of age. Vaccine. 2008;26 (suppl 4):D10-D16.
  7. Vezina RM, Lesko SM, Corwin MJ, Gottlieb DJ. Association of early infant exposures to wheezing and asthma by age five. Paediatr Perinat EpidemioI, 2001, 15(4):A34-A35.
  8. Yawn BP, Wollan P, Scanlon P, Kurland M. Are we ready for universal school-based asthma screening? An outcomes evaluation. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156.1256-1262.
  9. U.S Census-lntercensal estimates of the United States resident population by age and sex. http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/EST901NTERCENSAL/US-EST901NT-07/US-EST901NT-07.csv. Accessed April 12, 2010.
  10. Savage JH, Matsui EC, Skripak JM, Wood RA. The natural history of egg allergy. J Allergy Clln Immunol. 2007:120:1413-1417.
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Questions and Answers: The Nasal-Spray Flu Vaccine (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine [LAIV]). http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/nasalspray.htm. Accessed April 1, 2011.
  12. Smith DB, Inglis SC. The mutation rate and variability of eukaryotic viruses: an analytical review. J Gen Virol. 1987;68:2729-2740.
  13. Data on File. MedImmune, LLC. Gaithersburg, MD.
  14. Tam JS, Capeding MR, Lum LC, et al. Efficacy and safety of a live attenuated cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent against culture-confirmed influenza in young children in Asia. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2007;26:619-628.