CORRECTED - Glaxo starts final clinical trial of shingles vaccine

(Corrects name of virus in 5th paragraph)

* More than 30,000 patients to take part worldwide

* GSK: important milestone in addressing unmet medical need

LONDON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) said on Monday it had started final trials of its new vaccine to prevent shingles, one of the most significant products in its pipeline.

More than 30,000 patients worldwide will take part in the Phase III trial, Glaxo said.

"Shingles is an often debilitating condition for which there are limited treatment and prevention options," Norman Begg, Chief Medical Officer of GSK Biologicals, said in a statement.

"That is why progression into late stage development of our herpes zoster vaccine is an important milestone in ongoing efforts to potentially help address an important unmet need." Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and results in painful rash on one side of the body. The disease becomes more prevalent with age, and there are an estimated 1 million cases a year in the United States.

Shares in the company were 1 percent higher at 1,219 pence at 0947 GMT.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Ben Hirschler)