Zostavax: Phase III data

A double-blind Phase III trial in 22,439 healthy volunteers ages 50-59 showed that a single 0.65 mL injection of Zostavax reduced the incidence of shingles by 69.8% at 2.2 years post-vaccination vs. placebo, which Merck said met the study's pre-specified criteria for success (30 vs. 99 cases of shingles). Zostavax also induced a significantly higher varicella-zoster virus antibody response vs. placebo at 6 weeks post-vaccination. The overall incidence of adverse events was higher for Zostavax compared to placebo (72.8% vs. 41.5%) and was primarily a result of a higher rate of injection-site adverse events for Zostavax (63.9% vs. 14.4%). ...