Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Failing Three Years In A Row, Panel Advises Against Nasal Flu Spray
The Associated Press: AstraZeneca’s Flu-Vaccine Spray Fails Again; U.S. Panel Recommends Shot
AstraZeneca PLC’s nasal-spray version of the flu vaccine failed to protect children for three years in row, prompting an expert panel to recommend that doctors stop giving it to patients. Health officials said FluMist didn’t work at all against the flu strain that made most people sick last year, while the traditional flu shot worked reasonably well. “We could find no evidence (the spray) was effective,” said Dr. Joseph Bresee, a flu expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which presented preliminary study results to the federal advisory committee on immunization. (6/22)
Stat: Nasal Flu Vaccine Is Not Working And Should Not Be Used This Season, Expert Panel Concludes
An expert panel that advises the US government on vaccines said on Wednesday that the nasal mist influenza vaccine used by millions should not be administered this coming flu season. (Branswell, 6/22)
