According to a new study, the shingles vaccine might not be cost-effective for people younger than 60. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are already not recommending the shingles vaccine for people under 60 years of age, and the findings of the new analysis support that policy.
According to lead author Phuc Le of the Cleveland Clinic, as declared for Reuters Health, the shingles vaccine is effective even if not cost effective. Herpes zoster or shingles is a painful, blistering rash. The disease is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox.
Each year, around one million Americans develop shingles, according to Le and his colleagues. Even if they receive treatment with antiviral drugs, many of the people with shingles suffer persistent severe pain known as postherpetic neuralgia.
The vaccine against shingles is cleared by the Federal Food And Drugs Administration (FDA) for use among people aged 50 and older. However, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is not recommending the vaccine for people younger than in their sixties.
For the new study, the researchers used a computer software to analyze and estimate the effectiveness of the shingles vaccine in people aged in the range of 50 to 59. The research paper was reported in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The scientists have found that among 1,000 people receiving the vaccine at age 50, only one case of shingle-related pain and 25 shingles cases would be prevented.
If they cost at most $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) preventive treatments are typically considered cost-effective. The QALY indicator takes into consideration per year of healthy life gained. The new study suggests the shingles vaccine cost over $300,000 per QALY.
According to Dr. Michael Rothberg, study's senior author from the Cleveland Clinic, when the protective effects of the shingles vaccine last 10 to 12 years when it is administered at ages 60 or 70. This means, he added, that when you get vaccinated at 50, you're will be pretty much unprotected by the time when you reach 60.
Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, the executive director of medical affairs for adult vaccines at Merck, declared in a statement for Reuters Health that the shingles disease has a great impact on people's lifestyles and it is important not to lose sight of this aspect.
According to Dr. Bresnitz, the Zostavax shingles vaccine developed by Merck & Co. has been proved helpful to reduce both shingles and the related pain associated with it.
