Shingles Vaccine

Shingles Vaccine Not Nearly Widely Used As Once Hoped.

On the front of its Science Times section, the New York Times (7/12, D1, Span, Subscription Publication) reports, "A combination of factors has dissuaded many physicians' offices and clinics from carrying Zostavax," the vaccine for shingles. At the same time, "its manufacturer, Merck, has been unable to produce sufficient quantities to meet even modest demand." As a result, "intermittent shortages that last months have kept the company from consistently marketing the vaccine and have forestalled public health campaigns that could have built awareness of the need for it." The article quoted epidemiologist Rafael Harpaz, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as saying, "There hasn't been a single year since the vaccine was licensed in 2006 that there's been no problem with supply." Accordingly, only about 10% of people 60 years of age and older have received a shingles vaccination.

        The New York Times (7/11, Span, Subscription Publication) "The New Old Age" blog pointed out that the "Food and Drug Administration has since approved Zostavax for people aged 50 to 59." However, "the vaccine remains hard to find, cumbersome to get reimbursed for, and not nearly as widely used as researchers had hoped."

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