Merck Vaccine Cuts Risk of Shingles by Half, Researchers Find
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Older adults who were given Merck & Co.’s Zostavax vaccine cut in half their risk of developing shingles, a rash triggered by the same virus that causes chickenpox, researchers said, buttressing an older study.
The vaccine was approved for sale in the U.S. in 2006, for patients ages 60 or older. Those who received the vaccine reduced their risk 55 percent, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Merck didn’t have a role in the research, which was sponsored by Oakland, California-based Kaiser Permanente, the health management organization.