GPs ‘fed up’ as Shingrix demand outstrips supply
GPs say they have not received enough stock of recombinant herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix to meet patient demand after it was listed on the National Immunisation Program this month.
Patients aged 65 and over, immunocompromised adults and Indigenous patients aged 50 and over are eligible for free Shingrix vaccination after it replaced the live-attenuated vaccine Zostavax on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) on 1 November.
Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said nearly five million patients would be eligible for a free vaccine, saving them over $500 for a two-dose course.
But Dr Rod Pearce, chair of the Immunisation Coalition, told AusDoc that limited vaccine stock meant GPs had to prioritise patients at highest risk of infection.
