FluMist
By Lucky Tomaszek
Many people are relieved to hear about the new FluMist vaccine. No one likes needles, and it seems the makers of FluMist are counting on that fact to convince consumers to buy. FluMist is the first influenza vaccine that is not a shot. It’s a nasal spray. One good dose up the nose and you’re protected for the whole winter. Or are you?
Traditional flu shots are made from killed influenza virus, which cannot cause a case of influenza in either the recipient or anyone who comes in contact with the recipient. Killed viruses are considered safer, though shorter acting. In the case of the flu shot, this is not a disadvantage, because protection only needs to last for a year. By the following year, a new flu shot is available that is intended for whichever influenza strain is most prevalent.
FluMist is a lot different from its first cousin, the annual flu shot. For starters, it’s not intended for use by the people who are normally urged to receive a flu vaccine, the elderly and the immuno-compromised. FluMist is being marketed for healthy people ages 5 to 49. That’s because it’s made from the live influenza virus, which could be harmful if given to someone who isn’t completely in the pink.
Should you take it up the nose?
There is additional concern about the FluMist vaccine precisely because it’s a nasal spray rather than an injection. Most people who have ever needed to take a nasal spray medication can tell you that it often leads to sneezing, sometimes repeated sneezing. When you’ve sprayed a live vaccine up your nose and you sneeze, the live vaccine is shot across the room at 100 miles per hour. This can be troublesome for anyone, but especially so for small children in school and people living with immuno-compromised family members.
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, D.O., President and Medical Director of the OsteoMed II clinic in Strongsville, Ohio, shares this concern:
“One of the most troubling concerns over [FluMist] is the potential for the viruses to enter directly into the brain… The olfactory tract has long been recognized as a direct pathway to the brain. Intranasal injection of certain viruses has resulted in a serious brain infection called encephalitis… Time will tell whether the live viruses in FluMist will become linked to cases of encephalitis.”
IF IT WALKS AND TALKS LIKE A DUCK…
The reported side effects of the vaccine are also interesting to note. According to the FluMist package insert, 72�f adult recipients reported side effects including “cough (14� runny nose/nasal congestion (45� headaches (40� chills (9� muscle aches (17�and fever greater than 100° F (1.5�” If you ask me, that sounds a lot like having the flu.
MedImmune — the real FluMist beneficiary.
MedImmune, the company that manufactures FluMist, recently announced that the vaccine will be made available without a prescription at Wal-Mart. At about $70 per dose, this is great news for MedImmune and partner Wyeth, who are expecting the vaccine to sweep the nation, pushing MedImmune’s revenues to more than $1 billion per year.
The accompanying marketing campaign, according to MedImmune, will be the “most intense, direct-to-consumer marketing campaign ever waged for a vaccine,” costing an estimated $25 million this season. In addition, Wyeth plans a three-year, $100 million campaign to encourage use of the nasal flu vaccine among physicians.
Undoubtedly there are people who can benefit from a nasal flu vaccine, just as there are those whose lives have been changed for the better by Ritalin, Prozac, and even Phenphen. But we’ve all been led down the road of “miracle cures” that turned out to be something less enough times to know that an ounce of healthy skepticism might be worth a pound of cure — especially when you’re thinking about spraying a live virus into your brain.
I think I’ll stick with needles for now.
