The FDA has approved a nasal spray flu vaccine for home use. Here's how it works, and when it will be available.

FluMist is the only nasal flu vaccine, but it is not new. The FDA approved it in 2003 for people 5 to 49 years old before expanding eligibility in 2007 to children as young as 2 years old — requiring in both instances that it be administered by a vaccine provider.

Gaithersburg, Maryland-based MedImmune has received the FDA’s approval of its FluMist nasal spray flu vaccine, meaning no physician needed.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first nasal spray flu vaccine which can be administered by the patient or a caregiver. FluMist, produced by European pharmaceutical company and Covid vaccine-maker AstraZeneca, was announced last week and can be used by adults aged 49 and under.

Most respiratory viruses, like the flu and COVID-19, enter the body through the nose. When an infected person exhales, sneezes, coughs, or even laughs, they release droplets containing the virus, which others can inhale. These pathogens attach to the nasal lining, replicate, and are further spread.

The wait for a flu shot at your doctor's office or pharmacy may soon be a thing of the past. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved FluMist nasal spray as the first influenza vaccine for self-administration at home.