FluMist was invented by Hunein "John" Maassab after more than four decades of research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Gaithersburg, Md.-based MedImmune has licensed the rights to FluMist from U-M, and has a marketing agreement with pharmaceutical giant Wyeth.
"I am pleased that the FDA does not believe that additional clinical trials are necessary. The efficacy of FluMist is clearly established. I expect that MedImmune will be able to respond to any FDA questions. I am happy to see this progress," Maassab said today (JULY 11). Maassab is on medical leave from U-M and is unavailable for media interviews. Rosemary Rochford, assistant professor of epidemiology, is the U-M spokesperson on FluMist.
MedImmune plans a webcast at 5:30 p.m. today (JULY 11) to discuss the FDA's response to its biologics license application for FluMist. The site is http://www.medimmune.com. A replay of the webcast will be available via MedImmune's website until midnight July 18. A MedImmune press release on the FDA's response is available at http://investor.medimmune.com/news/20020711-84556.cfm?ReleaseID=84556
Maassab finished his doctoral dissertation on influenza in 1956, inspired by his mentor, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., who had overseen the U.S. Army's flu vaccine program during World War II. Francis was founder of U-M's epidemiology department and a mentor to Jonas Salk; he oversaw the polio vaccine clinical trials conducted at U-M.
Maassab maintained his interest in flu, building on one finding after another before ultimately coming to the approach used in FluMist, a cold-adapted, live-attenuated, tri
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Contact: Colleen Newvine
cnewvine@umich.edu
734-764-7260
University of Michigan
11-Jul-2002