Needle-free delivery of influenza vaccine using the Med-Jet® H4 is efficient and elicits the same humoral and cellular responses as standard IM injection: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Needle-free vaccine delivery systems have many potential advantages including increased vaccine compliance and decreased risk of needlestick injuries and syringe reuse. The Med-Jet® H4 is a gas-powered, auto-disabling disposable syringe jet injector. The Med-Jet family of products are currently being used in dermatology, podiatry, pain management and veterinary practices. The objectives of this study were to assess patient attitudes, time-efficiency, safety and immunogenicity of the seasonal influenza vaccine delivered by Med-Jet compared to the traditional needle-and-syringe.

METHODS: A total of 80 patients were randomized 2:1:1 to receive a commercial trivalent vaccine by Med-Jet or needle injection from a single-dose or multi-dose vial. Patient attitudes were assessed pre-randomization and post-immunization. Safety data were collected for 21 days post-immunization. Efficiency of vaccine administration was measured through a time-and-motion study. Humoral and cellular responses were assessed on Days 0 and 21.

RESULTS: Overall, the participants readily accepted Med-Jet vaccination despite greater frequency of transient local reactions (eg: redness, swelling) immediately following immunization. Vaccine administration took slightly longer with the Med-Jet, but this difference decreased over time. Geometric mean hemagglutination inhibition titers, seroconversion and seroprotection rates in the Med-Jet and needle groups were equivalent for all influenza strains in the vaccine. Microneutralization responses were also essentially identical. There were no significant differences between the groups in the frequency of functional CD4 + T cells, memory subset distribution or poly-functionality.

CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the Med-Jet is an acceptable means of delivering seasonal influenza vaccine. The system was attractive to subjects, rapidly learned by skilled vaccine nurses and elicited both humoral and cellular responses that were indistinguishable from those elicited with needle injection. While other studies have assessed the humoral response to jet injection of influenza vaccine, to our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the cellular aspect of this response. (ClinTrials.gov-NCT03150537).