C.D.C. Panel Recommends a New Shingles Vaccine
https://www.doximity.com/doc_news/v2/entries/9847908
WASHINGTON — In an unusually close vote, an advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday recommended the use of a new vaccine to prevent shingles over an older one that was considered less effective.
The decision was made just days after the Food and Drug Administration announced approval of the new vaccine, called Shingrix and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, for adults aged 50 and older. The panel’s recommendation gives preference to the new vaccine over Merck’s Zostavax, which has been the only shingles vaccine on the market for over a decade and was recommended for people aged 60 and older.
The panel also recommended that adults who have received the older vaccine get the new one.
According to the C.D.C., almost 1 of every 3 people in the United States will contract shingles,
a viral infection that can result in a painful rash and lasting nerve damage.
The disease, also known as herpes zoster, can range in severity from barely noticeable to debilitating. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also triggers chickenpox.
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