Merck’s Investigational Shingles Vaccine, Reduced the Incidence, Severity and Duration of Shingles Pain in a New Study Published

Merck’s Investigational Shingles Vaccine, Reduced the Incidence, Severity and Duration of Shingles Pain in a New Study Published in The New England Journal of Medicine In the Study, the Investigational Vaccine Also Reduced the Incidence of Both Postherpetic Neuralgia and Shingles An investigational shingles vaccine developed by Merck & Co., Inc., reduced the total burden of pain and discomfort caused by shingles by 61 percent, according to a new study that compared the investigational vaccine to placebo in more than 38,500 men and women age 60 and older. In the study, the vaccine also reduced by 67 percent the incidence of persistent nerve pain – the most frequent complication of shingles known as postherpetic neuralgia (“PHN”) – and reduced the incidence of shingles by 51 percent. The Phase III Shingles Prevention Study, published in the June 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, was a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Merck at 22 research sites across the United States over a period of more than five years. “We are delighted that the results from this study published in The New England Journal of Medicine met or exceeded the predefined criteria for success,” said Michael N. Oxman, M.D, an infectious disease specialist at the San Diego VA Healthcare System and the University of California, San Diego, who was study leader and lead author on the article. “Shingles is a common, frequently painful disease that can occur without warning in anyone who has had chickenpox. For those people who develop the most common complication of shingles, PHN, pain can last for weeks, months or even years. Even the touch of one’s own shirt against the affected area can be very painful for someone suffering from PHN.” About Shingles Shingles is caused by the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus –the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles may first appear as tingling, itching or pain on one side of the body or face. It then progresses to a blistering rash accompanied by pain in almost every case that varies in intensity and duration. Shingles also can lead to complications, including persistent nerve pain (PHN) that can follow an episode of shingles. PHN can last for months or even years and can range from a tender, burning pain to a throbbing, stabbing pain. Shingles can affect anyone who has had chickenpox -- more than 90 percent of adults in the United States -- and occurs most frequently in older adults. In fact, it is estimated that up to half of all people who reach age 85 will have developed shingles during their lifetime. Approximately 25 to 50 percent of shingles patients older than 50 years of age develop persistent long-lasting pain after shingles (PHN). Estimates of the number of cases of shingles occurring each year vary from up to 800,000 to 1 million cases in the United States. The incidence of shingles is expected to increase as the population ages. Media Contacts: Kulaseth Hovongratana, Public Affairs Manager, (662) 255 5090 ext 314 e-mail: [email protected] End.

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