Merck Announces Publication of Phase-III Data for Shingles Vaccine Zostavax

Efficacy and safety data that supported the US FDA's expanded indication for Zostavax in 2011 have been published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Efficacy and safety data for Merck's shingles vaccine Zostavax (Zoster Vaccine Live) have been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The data were obtained during the pivotal phase-III clinical trial involving adults between the ages of 50 and 59.

A total of 11,184 people were given Zostavax, while a further 11,212 received a placebo.

Participants were then monitored for up to two years to see if they developed shingles.

Researchers found that the vaccine reduced patients' chances of developing shingles by 69.8 per cent compared with placebo, with 30 cases of shingles recorded in the vaccine