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September 25, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Drugmakers Trying to Retire the Needle"

New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (09/24/02) P. D8

In an effort to work around people's aversion to needles, biotechnology firms are working on alternative methods for administering medication.  MedImmune Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., for example, is waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its nasal spray influenza vaccine.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 70 million people receive influenza shots every year; however, the flu still takes the lives of 20,000 people in the United States each year, and it forces the hospitalization of 100,000. Meanwhile, San Francisco-based Inhale Therapeutics Systems Inc. and Aradigm Corp., along with their pharmaceutical partners, are trying to obtain government approval for their inhaled insulin. Physicians say they like this form of treatment because of the potential to prolong the quality of life for diabetics who sometimes skip their insulin shots.

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