The American federal health system has given the green light to a new adult vaccine for the prevention of shingles. Shingrix, a vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, has been recommended for all Americans aged 50 and above.

Shingrix Over Zostavax

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine usage also recommended a revaccination with Shingrix for adults who had already received a Zostavax vaccination — a shingles vaccine manufactured by Merck.

The committee has now clearly expressed that it prefers Shingrix over Zostavax. Previously in 2006, the committee licensed and recommended Zostavax for people aged 60 and more, and the vaccine was also recommended to those who had already suffered from a bout of shingles. In fact, Zostavax has been the only approved vaccine to protect against shingles until now.

"It's not so much a matter of not preferring (Shingrix); it's a matter of not preferring this vaccine at this particular moment in time," said the committee’s solo consumer representative, Cynthia Pellegrini.

What Is Shingles?

Shingles is a viral infection, also known as herpes zoster, that affects almost one in every three people in the United States. The infection leads to agonizing rash and can cause permanent nerve damage, in addition to loss of vision, spinal cord damage, encephalitis and strokes. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is also the culprit behind chickenpox.

Studies have shown that Shingrix is 97 percent more effective against shingles for people in the age group 50 to 69, and 91 percent effective for people aged 70 and more, in comparison to Zostavax that has been known to be only 51 percent effective against shingles.

Shingrix's rate of effectiveness is based on a research that was presented to the committee from clinical trials with more than 38,000 volunteers. However, the effectiveness of both the vaccines drops over time — with Zostavax’s effect diminishing by 15 to 25 percent after the first year, while the effectiveness of Shingrix stays at 85 percent and above for nearly four years after vaccinations.

However, Dr. Kathleen Dooling, a medical officer with CDC, has cautioned that there are more instances of people having adverse reactions to Shingrix in comparison to Zostavax, such as developing muscle aches and fever.

“Patients and health care providers should be aware that this vaccine is very effective, but it also causes more reactions than they may be used to with other adult vaccines,” Dooling said. “All indications are these are not dangerous to one’s health, but they may interfere with your daily activities for a few days,” she added.