Pharmacies See FluMist Shortage Nationwide

Having trouble getting your hands on FluMist? You’re not alone.

Pharmacies nationwide are seeing shortages in their FluMist supplies from AstraZeneca.

Melissa Garcia, a spokeswoman for MedImmune, which is AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development arm, spoke with Pharmacy Times about delivery challenges and when pharmacies can expect more FluMist deliveries.

“This influenza season, we have encountered some challenges with the production of 2 of the 4 strains contained in our vaccine, which has impacted delivery timing,” Garcia said.

So far, more than 7 million doses of FluMist have been distributed in the United States, she said. The company will be shipping several million more doses between late November and December to meet demand.

“The [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] supports vaccinating as long as flu viruses are circulating,” Garcia said. “We are committed to getting our flu vaccine to patients and continue to support vaccination as soon as product is available and throughout the flu season.”

One of Pharmacy Times’ (@Pharmacy_Times) Twitter followers said she got 1 box in late September or early October, ran out in 1 week, and has not received any more supply since then.

Back in September, AstraZeneca announced it was starting to ship nearly 15 million doses through the United States for the 2015-2016 season.

FluMist quadrivalent is the first and only needle-free nasal spray approved by the FDA to protect against 2 influenza A strains and 2 influenza B lineages.

This is the third flu season that the vaccine is available as a nasal spray. The product is indicated for patients 2 to 49 years old.

FluMist should not be administered to those allergic to eggs or other vaccine ingredients.