Nasal Flu Vaccine FluMist Gets FDA Approval for At-Home Use > News > Yale Medicine

A fear of needles and logistical hurdles are just two reasons some people may skip their annual flu vaccine. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed those obstacles by approving the at-home use of FluMist®, an influenza vaccine administered by nasal spray.

Made by AstraZeneca, FluMist will be available for home use starting in the fall of 2025. It is approved for people ages 2 through 49 (the vaccine doesn’t help prevent flu in people ages 50 and older). Getting annual vaccinations against flu is highly recommended by health experts. Each year, the flu causes up to 41 million illnesses, 710,000 hospitalizations, and 51,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Making this vaccine available to use at home is a great step for public health purposes,” says Scott Roberts, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist. “There are always patients who don’t get vaccinated because they can’t get to the clinic, or it’s not top of mind. If you can offer this at home via self-administration, I imagine it’s only going to increase the percentage of people who are vaccinated against the flu. Plus, it’s the only needle-free option. So, it’s helpful for patients who have a needle—or doctor—phobia.”

FluMist contains a weakened form of live influenza virus strains A and B and is sprayed into the nose. It was first approved by the FDA in 2003, and, until the approval for at-home use, was administered only by a health care provider in a medical setting (including pharmacies).

A prescription will be required for at-home use. Beginning in fall 2025, an individual can get one by visiting the FluMist website and entering information to determine if they are eligible. If they are, a pharmacist will grant approval, and the vaccine will be shipped to them. A caregiver should administer the vaccine to anyone between the ages of 2 and 18.

Below, we talk more with Dr. Roberts about FluMist as a nasal spray vaccine used at home.