(CNN) - A group of immunization experts that advises the CDC has approved a new vaccine to treat shingles in adults over 50.
The new drug is called Shingrix, and it's made by GlaxoSmithKline for the treatment of shingles, a painful, itchy rash.
It's caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, and the skin lesions can last two to four weeks. One-third of Americans will develop shingles at some point in their lifetime.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which provides recommendations to the CDC on vaccine usage, approved Shingrix on Wednesday and expressed its preference for the series of two Shingrix shots over the vaccine Zostavax.
This is the second thumbs-up Shingrix has gotten recently. The Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to the new vaccine Friday.
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