Vaccine for Shingles Gets FDA Approval

A new chickenpox vaccine has received federal approval to prevent shingles, the often-painful disease that can strike the elderly when the chickenpox virus reemerges after lying dormant for decades.

The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it had licensed the vaccine, Zostavax, to reduce the risk of shingles in adults 60 and older. The Merck & Co. vaccine is only for adults who have had chickenpox.

There are roughly 1 million new U.S. cases of shingles each year. It typically affects the elderly, though anyone with a weakened immune system is vulnerable. The vaccine is not meant for anyone with HIV or who is on immune-suppressing drugs, including transplant patients, said Norman Baylor, director of the FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review.

Shingles can cause itching, burning and tingling, as well as a distinctive red rash that develops into blisters that later break open and form scabs. Pain can persist in some patients for months or years.

Merck research indicated that the vaccine reduced the incidence of shingles by half and pain and discomfort by nearly two-thirds, officials said.