Merck’s Zostovax a “major public health advance” for older people

Merck’s Zostavax have announced that the first vaccine intended to protect against shingles in adults above the age of 60 has been approved in the US and Europe.

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the dormant varicella-zoster virus, which causes chicken pox, when the immune system is particularly weak, usually because of old age or illness. According to the firm, people who have had chicken pox are still susceptible to contracting shingles.

Trials of the vaccine demonstrate that the risk of shingles is reduced by 51 per cent and also helps patients who often experience the symptoms of shingles, such as painful blisters, Reuters reports.

Mark Feinberg, senior executive of the firm’s vaccine division, commented: “There are over a million shingles cases every year in the United States, with the average person having a 30 per cent chance of developing the condition in their lifetime.”

The firm says that trials of Zostavax involved over 40,000 people, with 21,000 receiving the vaccine.