MSD shingles therapy recommended for over-60s

A single-dose vaccine that protects adults against shingles should be used for the over-60s age group, according to an immunisation organisation.

The recommendation from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention could potentially pave the way for marketing in other countries such as the UK.

According to the Herpes Viruses Association, about 250,000 people in the UK get shingles every year and more than a third of these continue to suffer from symptoms, or postherpetic neuralgia, for weeks or months afterwards.

Zostavax manufacturer Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) said its product is the only vaccine that prevents the disease, which is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus characterised by a painful rash.

Professor William Schaffner, vice-president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said: “Healthcare providers should review this recommendation and discuss the use of Zostavax for the prevention of shingles with their appropriate patients aged 60 and older.”