Recombinant zoster vaccine now on private market
It may be another couple of years before it is subsidised for the elderly
Australian GPs can now order the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix, but patients might have to pay a hefty sum for the two-dose course as it’s not yet on the National Immunisation Program.
The vaccine was approved in Australia in 2018 for prevention of shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia in patients aged 50 or older but has not been marketed or supplied by its sponsor, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), until now.
