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FDA approves herpes zoster vaccine for use in younger adults
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The herpes zoster vaccine reduced the risk for shingles by approximately 70% in adults aged between 50 and 59 years, according to a FDA press release.
The vaccine was originally approved in May 2006 for use in adults aged 60 years and older. FDA approval of the vaccine (Zostavax, Merck) in adults aged between 50 and 59 was based upon a multicenter study including about 22,000 people, aged between 50 and 59 years, assigned to either herpes zoster vaccine or placebo.
Follow-up was for at least 1 year. Common adverse events were headache and redness, pain and swelling at the site of injection.
“The likelihood of shingles increases with age. The availability of [herpes zoster vaccine] to a younger age group provides an additional opportunity to prevent this often painful and debilitating disease,” Karen Midthun, MD, director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a press release.
For more information, visit www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm136941.htm.
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