UK poised for shingles vaccination programme
pharmafile | February 1, 2010 | News story | | shingles, vaccines
The government is to undertake what it calls “a rigorous procurement programme” to look for a suitable shingles vaccine.
Possibilities could include Merck’s Zostavax as the Department of Health considers seriously whether to vaccinate old people against the disease for the first time.
Public health minister Gillian Merron has signalled that up to four million people in their seventies could be offered protection.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has already recommended that the programme should go ahead – providing a shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine can be bought at a reasonable price.
Under the NHS Constitution, underpinned by legislation passed in April last year, patients have the right to receive a vaccine on the NHS if it has been recommended by the JCVI based on an assessment of cost-effectiveness.
Shingles has the potential to be extremely debilitating, characterised by a rash of painful blisters which may lead to hospitalisation.
“Shingles is an unpleasant illness which can be very serious, especially for older people,” Merron said.
“I welcome the recommendation from the experts on immunisation that we should look for a cost-effective vaccine. A vaccination programme would be good news for those in their seventies.”
About a quarter of adults will get shingles and a vaccination programme could improve the quality of life for people aged 70-79, she concluded.
Shingles is caused by the re-activation of the chickenpox virus that people tend to catch as children; it usually affects, and is more severe in, older people.
The blisters it causes can last for many weeks or months and, although they are treatable with antiviral drugs, many sufferers can experience chronic pain which lasts for months.
JCVI looked at “medical, epidemiological, and economic evidence” in addition to safety and efficacy data.
It is yet to issue a full statement on the issue but said its recommendation will be kept under review.
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