Shingles News and Research

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Shingles (herpes zoster) is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes numbness or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the body.

Having vaccine after shingles appear do not reduce the risk of stroke

Stroke risk increased significantly in the days, weeks and months after shingles appeared, despite use of the shingles vaccine and antiviral therapy to treat it, according to preliminary research to be presented in Honolulu at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

30 Jan 2019

Study: Long-term spaceflights could adversely affect astronauts' immune systems

NASA hopes to send humans to Mars by 2030 on a round-trip mission that could take up to three years - far longer than any human has ever traveled in space.

24 Jan 2019

Cancer patients have greater risk of developing shingles, study shows

People newly diagnosed with cancer, particularly blood cancers, and those treated with chemotherapy have a greater risk of developing shingles, according to a new study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

13 Dec 2018

Newer vaccine far more successful in preventing shingles, systematic review reveals

A systematic review of clinical studies involving more than two million patients aged 50 years and older suggests a recently released shingles vaccine was far more successful in preventing the painful condition compared to the older vaccine - but also carried greater risk of side-effects.

26 Oct 2018

Who knew? Life begins (again) at 65

I was convinced I would become an adult when I turned 21. But now, I'm certain that turning 65 was the watershed moment that finally grew me up.

15 Oct 2018

Common painkiller not effective in controlling chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury

A new study out today in the Journal of Neurology finds that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the chronic pain that sometimes develops following traumatic nerve injury.

25 Sep 2018

Non-opioid drug shows promise for treating pain by targeting receptors on immune cells

Faced with the epidemic of opioid addiction, researchers have been charged with finding other strategies to treat pain. Their efforts largely have focused on nerve cells that transmit pain signals to the spinal cord and brain.

6 Jul 2018

Price check on drug ads: Would revealing costs help patients control spending?

President Donald Trump wants to control spending on drugs. One of his big ideas: include prices in advertisements, just like warnings about side effects.

6 Jun 2018

FDA approves first oral medication for adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approval of Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to include adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Xeljanz is the first oral medication approved for chronic use in this indication.

30 May 2018

Pfizer announces Phase 3 study results of LYRICA Oral Solution CV for pediatric epilepsy patients

Pfizer Inc. announced today positive top-line results of a Phase 3 study examining the use of LYRICA® Oral Solution CV as adjunctive therapy for partial onset seizures in pediatric epilepsy patients one month to less than four years of age.

17 May 2018

Is there such a thing as normal aging?

For 93-year-old Joseph Brown, the clearest sign of aging was his inability the other day to remember he had to have his pants unzipped to pull them on.

11 Apr 2018

Adults skipping vaccines may miss out on effective new shingles shot

Federal officials have recommended a new vaccine that is more effective than an earlier version at protecting older adults against the painful rash called shingles. But persuading many adults to get this and other recommended vaccines continues to be an uphill battle, physicians and vaccine experts say.

20 Mar 2018

Shot may help reduce risk of shingles

Anyone who has had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine is at risk for the painful skin condition herpes zoster, more commonly known as shingles. Both diseases are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which stays in the body after chickenpox clears and may reactivate later in life.

18 Feb 2018

Anti-inflammatory pill could help make vaccines more effective for the elderly

By identifying why skin immunity declines in old age, a UCL-led research team has found that an anti-inflammatory pill could help make vaccines more effective for elderly people.

22 Jan 2018

University of Colorado’s second shingles vaccine approved by FDA

The Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended new treatment practices Wednesday for shingles based on a vaccine initially developed at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, now the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

28 Oct 2017

CDC recommends new vaccine for shingles

Last month a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel had voted 11 to 0 approving a shingles vaccine for its use in adults aged 50 and over. The panel unanimously accepted the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and thus GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix.

25 Oct 2017

Right after Trump blamed high drug prices on campaign cash, drugmakers gave more

"The cost of medicine in this country is outrageous," President Donald Trump said at a rally in Louisville, Ky., two months after his inauguration. He went on about how identical pills have vastly lower price tags in Europe.

27 Sep 2017

New shingles vaccine gets FDA panel votes

On the 13th of September 2017, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has voted 11 to 0 approving a shingles vaccine for its use in adults aged 50 and over. The panel unanimously accepted the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and thus GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix is on its way to FDA approval.

14 Sep 2017

Studies reveal strategies for using shingles vaccine in arthritis patients

New research indicates that the live varicella-zoster vaccine--which is given to protect against shingles--elicits robust immune responses in patients when administered several weeks prior to the start of treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib.

28 Aug 2017

Research reveals underlying reason for intense pain in patients with shingles

Chickenpox is a typical childhood illness. In most cases, it is benign, and the symptoms disappear within ten days. However, its causative agent, Varicella zoster virus (VZV), remains in the organism forever. In some cases, the virus can be reactivated years later, causing a different disease known as herpes zoster, or shingles.

24 Aug 2017