FluMist
Influenza has long been a matter of concern to public health officials, who have sought methods to promote more widespread protective inoculations among the general public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 114,000 people in the United States are hospitalized and 20,000 people die every year because of influenza. Thus it's not surprising that a June 2003 decision by the Food and Drug Administration, granting regulatory approval for an influenza vaccine delivered in the form of a nasal spray, set off widespread excitement among health care practitioners, who are hoping that this easily accessible, painless option will encourage more people to protect themselves from the virus.
The inhaled vaccine, known as FluMist&trade , originated from research on live-virus vaccines begun by University of Michigan School of Public Health Epidemiology Professor Dr. Hunein F. Maassab and his colleagues in the1950s. FluMist uses a live, but weakened, virus, adapted for delivery via nasal spray. This virus will grow in the lower temperatures found in the nasal passages but not the higher temperatures of the lungs, where naturally occurring influenza develops. Dr. Maassab was inspired by another pioneering UM researcher, Thomas Francis, Jr., developer of the first killed-virus flu vaccine, and mentor of Jonas Salk, who discovered the vaccine for polio.
FluMist was originally licensed by the University of Michigan to Aviron, a start-up company which was then purchased by MedImmune Inc. in 2002. This success story illustrates the often-lengthy path required to transform promising research into a product that can be commercialized. It also demonstrates the need for a focused and trusting research-industry partnership, as has existed between the UM research team and the development team at Aviron and now MedImmune.
The FDA decision in June 2003 approved FluMist for treatment of healthy individuals between the ages of 5 and 49. MedImmune is co-marketing FluMist with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the companies anticipate that it should be available in time for the upcoming flu season.
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