Merck Shingles Vaccine Approved

Merck (MRK Quote) received Food and Drug Administration approval for a vaccine to prevent shingles in people age 60 and older.

The company's application for Zostavax was based on studies of more than 40,000 people, in which more than 21,000 received the vaccine. Those patients receiving the vaccine saw a 51% reduction in the risk of developing the skin infection, also known as herpes zoster, when compared with a placebo.

"Zostavax is the first, and only, medical option approved for the prevention of shingles," said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. "Approval of a vaccine against shingles represents a major public health advance for people 60 and older." ...