The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a nasal spray flu vaccine, FluMist, that consumers aged 2 to 49  will be able to administer themselves

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

FluMist contains a weakened form of live flu virus strains and is sprayed into the nose. “The nasal spray is a live vaccine so it's only indicated to give to healthy individuals who don't have any immunocompromising condition,” Edler said. FluMist is recommended for anyone between the ages of two and 49.

FluMist is the only flu vaccine administered by nasal spray, not injection. It is licensed for individuals between the ages of 2 and 49. This FDA approval makes it the only flu vaccine in the United States that can be administered at home and that does not need to be administered by a health care professional.

The FDA has approved FluMist (AstraZeneca) for self-administration by adults up to age 49 years or for caregiver administration for children aged 2 to 17 years, making it the first self-administered flu vaccine option.

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.