On May 25, 2006, Zostavax, manufactured by Merck & Co. of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, was approved by the FDA to prevent shingles (herpes zoster) in people 60 years of age and older.

Zostavax is a live, attenuated vaccine, meaning it is a living organism that has been weakened and adapted to provide immunity without causing illness. Shingles affects an estimated 1 million or more individuals in the U.S. each year ﾗ almost half of those cases are among people age 60 or older, for whom zoster vaccine is recommended.