Shortage of a new shingles vaccine

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - It's called Shringrix.  Pharmacists like Howard Jacobson report waiting lists of dozens of people or more for the vaccine. 

"It comes into the warehouse, we get some doses in and it flies out of here," Jacobson said. "Yesterday we got in ten, we've gone through all ten already."

Unprecedented demand is to blame for the shortage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two doses of the vaccine used to to prevent the painful rash and blisters of shingles is said to be more than 90-percent effective. 

Dr. Steven Weiss with South Nassau Communities Hospital recommends the  shot for people over 50 who have had chickenpox. 

"As people get older the risk for developing shingles gets higher because as people get older their immune systems get weaker so the virus is more likely to come out," said Dr. Weiss. 

People who are concerned and don't want to wait can get Zostavax. It's another shingles vaccine that's been on the market for a longer period of time but doctors say it's not as effective. 

"People have the option of using the earlier vaccine which has a different profile for efficacy and a little different side effects," said Dr. Weiss. "After that there's not a whole lot of options as far as prevention."

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the vaccine.  It plans to boost its supply in 2019.