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Shingles Vaccine Deemed Safe in Large Study

April 23, 2012 -- The shingles vaccine is "generally safe and well tolerated," according to a study of nearly 200,000 patients. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a painful rash caused by reactivation of chickenpox virus that has remained dormant in the body. Up to 1 million Americans, more than half of
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FDA: Shingles Vaccine OK at Age 50 and Up

March 24, 2011 - People age 50 and older can now get Merck's Zostavax shingles vaccine, the FDA today ruled. The vaccine already was approved for people age 60 and older. The approval is based on a Merck clinical trial that showed the vaccine to be about 70% effective in preventing shingles in the y
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Shingles Myth Busted: It Does Come Back

Feb. 4, 2011 -- People unlucky enough to suffer a painful shingles attack had one consolation: the belief it would never happen again. Now that comforting belief has been shattered. A new study shows that shingles is at least as likely to strike a person who's already had one bout of the disease as
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Shingles Vaccine Cuts Disease Risk 55%

Jan. 11, 2011 -- The herpes zoster vaccine, better known as the shingles vaccine and recommended for adults 60 and older, cuts the risk of getting the painful disease by 55%, new research finds. "Compared to childhood vaccines, people would [probably] think 55% is not too impressive, because many ch
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New Drug for Lingering Shingles Pain

Nov. 17, 2009 - The FDA has approved a new treatment for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the nerve pain that sometimes lingers after an attack of shingles. The new PHN drug is Qutenza. It's made by Lohmann Therapie-Systems AD of Andernach, Germany, and distributed by NeurogesX Inc. of San Mateo, Calif
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Shingles Recurs More Often Than Thought

Nov. 2, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- People with shingles are more likely to suffer a recurrence than previously thought, especially if their attack is accompanied by lasting pain, researchers report. "The risk of getting shingles again, once you already have it, is about one in three," says Barbara Yawn,
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Shingles May Raise Risk of Stroke

Oct. 8, 2009 -- Adults with shingles are at increased risk for stroke, especially if they have shingles that affects the eyes, a study shows. The study is not the first to show an elevated stroke risk associated with shingles, but it is the first to quantify the risk, researchers say. Compared to ad
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Pump Away Shingles Pain?

May 6, 2009 -- A surgically implanted pump that delivers medication to the spinal fluid helps reduce the persistent pain that can linger in some patients after they recover from shingles, according to a new study. "All patients showed a greater than 50% improvement in pain control," says Andrew J. F
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Family History Ups Shingles Risk

May 19, 2008 -- A new study shows that people with shingles, or herpes zoster infection, are more than four times likely to have a first-degree relative with a history of the condition. Shingles is a painful nerve condition linked to the chickenpox virus, varicella zoster. If you've ever had the chi
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Age 60 or Older? Get Shingles Vaccine

May 15, 2008 -- The shingles vaccine Zostavax is now on the CDC's official list of recommended vaccines for people aged 60 and older. Shingles (herpes zoster) is a skin rash, typically with blisters, that can cause severe chronic pain. It's caused by the chickenpox (varicella zoster) virus, which ca
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