Needle-free flu vaccine unveiled.

2003 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MedImmune, Inc. is launching the first needle-free flu vaccine this fall with an aggressive advertising campaign aimed at convincing consumers they can't afford to get sick.

The 9-week print and TV campaign for FluMist, a prescription nasal spray, recasts the flu as a major life disruption instead of a bothersome seasonal illness.

"Who would replace you if you got the flu?" is the slogan of the $25 million campaign designed by the New York advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi.

"We are trying to change the view of the flu," said Armando Anido, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Gaithersburg, Maryland-based MedImmune.

"This is not designed for the older person who was the traditional target of the shot. This is appealing to healthy adults who will not rely on health care plans to cover the costs," he said.

Marketing analysts said the ads, spanning the September-to-November vaccination period, represent the most intense direct-to-consumer marketing campaign ever waged for a vaccine.

"As much as you see Claritin on TV year-round, you will see FluMist in 2 1/2 months," Anido said. "It will be a very intense campaign."