New shingles vaccine recommended for everyone over the age of 50

Adults age 50 and older need to be prepared to roll up their sleeves for a new vaccine to prevent shingles called Shingrix.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved this vaccine and an advisory panel of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending all adults 50 and older be inoculated with it.

Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Shingrix is more than 90 percent effective in preventing shingles, a painful skin disease that afflicts about one out of every three people in the United States during their lifetime.  Shingles is primarily known for the painful rash with blisters it causes but the real danger lies in the potential complications – severe and prolonged nerve pain called post-herpetic neuralgia, inflammation of the brain, hearing problems, vision loss, and even death.

Blame it on chickenpox; once a person has had this childhood disease, they are at risk of developing shingles years or even decades later.  After a person recovers from chicken pox, the Varicella-zoster virus which is what causes chickenpox, stays dormant or inactive in the body.  For reasons unknown, the virus can reactivate years later causing shingles.  Doctors recommend getting the shingles vaccine whether you remember having chickenpox or not since studies show 99% of Americans over the age of 40 have had the disease.

Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles but about half of all cases occur in people 60 and older.

Currently, the vaccine Zostavax for people over 60 is what has been recommended for helping to prevent shingles.  However, only 30% of people over that age have actually received it.  Zostavax has a 51% reduction rate in shingles but the new Shingrix vaccine has about an 85% effective rate for over three years.  Shingix is 97 percent effective in preventing shingles in people 50 to 69 years old and 91 percent effective in those 70 and older.  By comparison, Zostavax is 70 percent effective in your 50s, 64 percent effective in your 60s, 41 percent effective in your 70s, and 18 percent effective in your 80s.  In addition, Shingrix is better than Zostavax in preventing nerve pain that continues after a shingles rash has cleared up – about 90 percent effective versus 65 percent effective. 

Shingrix is a non-live herpes zoster vaccine containing a booster intended to give a strong and long-lasting immune response.  Because of the booster and that it is a two-dose series are likely why Shingrix has better protection than Zostavax. 

If the CDC adopts the recommendation of their advisory panel, Shingrix will replace the only other shingles vaccine of Zostavax.  One possible drawback of Shingrix is cost – the vaccine makes of GSK, estimate that Shingrix costs about $280 for two doses making it more expensive than Zostavax.  Shingrix is also not yet covered by insurance but insurance companies will likely begin coverage in the future.

Those already inoculated with Zostavax, can still benefit by also getting a revaccination with Shingrix but should discuss this with their doctor for their advice.