Shingles Vaccine Problems

Fewer than 10 percent of eligible patients have been vaccinated against shingles due to modern obstacles.
In the New York Times (6/10) Doctor and Patient column, Pauline Chen, MD, pointed out that although the shingles vaccine was seen as "contemporary medicine's elegant response to a once intractable, age-old problem," in the two years following its introduction, "fewer than 10 percent of all eligible patients have received it" largely due to "modern...obstacles." For instance, CDC researchers "found that fewer than half" of surveyed primary care physicians "strongly recommended the shingles vaccine," because most "were concerned about patient cost." The "vaccination costs $160 to $195 per dose, 10 times more than other commonly prescribed adult vaccines; and insurance carriers vary in the amount they will cover."