Merck’s Shingles Vaccine Approved

The FDA has approved Merck’s vaccine Zostavax for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in individuals 60 years of age and older. Shingles is a frequently painful disease marked by a blistering rash. Caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, shingles can lead to severe complications including long-term nerve pain, which can last for months or even years. Zostavax is not a treatment for shingles or postherpetic neuralgia.

Anyone who has been infected with chickenpox—that’s more than 90% of adults in the U.S.—is at risk for developing shingles. About 40 – 50% of the estimated one million cases of shingles that occur in the U.S. each year occur in people age 60 and older.

The approval was based on studies of more than 40,000 people, more than 21,000 of whom received active vaccine. Zostavax significantly reduced the risk of developing shingles compared with placebo by 51%. Efficacy for the prevention of shingles was highest for those 60 to 69 years of age and declined with increasing age.