Shingles Vaccine Shortage Has Seniors Scrambling

A shortage of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) Shingrix shingles vaccine due to overwhelming demand is aggravating seniors and providers, reports HealthDay News . Demand skyrocketed after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated Shingrix as the preferred shingles vaccine. The CDC's recommended dosage is two administrations two to six months apart for persons 50 and older, even if they previously received the Zostavax vaccine. To help cope with the shortage, GSK has an online tool to help consumers find pharmacies and providers who have offered Shingrix. For those who have never had a shingles shot and Shingrix is unavailable, but need immediate vaccination, Zostavax remains an option. The CDC says the older vaccine may still be used in healthy adults 60 and older. GSK estimates that more than 3 million doses of Shingrix had been administered in the United States through June. "We expect to vaccinate significantly more patients against shingles this year than were vaccinated in total in 2017," says GSK's Sean Clements.