Shingrix For Shingles Approved in Canada

The Shingrix vaccine has been approved for the prevention of shingles (herpes zoster) in people aged 50+ years in Canada.

This is an important vaccine because nearly all adults over 50 have the shingles virus dormant in their nervous system, waiting to reactivate with advancing age.

Up to 33 percent of Canadians will develop shingles in their lifetime, affecting approximately 130,000 Canadians annually. The vaccine reduces the risk of developing shingles and the complications caused by the disease.

Shingrix is a non-live, recombinant subunit adjuvanted vaccine given intramuscularly in two doses.

This vaccine combines an antigen, glycoprotein E, and an adjuvant system, AS01B, intended to generate a strong and long-lasting immune response that can help overcome the decline in immunity as people age.

“Shingrix was developed specifically to overcome the age-related decline in immunity against the varicella zoster virus,” said Dr Thomas Breuer, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of GSK Vaccines.

According to GSK, Shingrix is the first shingles vaccine to combine a non-live antigen, to trigger a targeted immune response, with a specifically designed adjuvant to generate a strong and sustained immune response.

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (inactive) in the body. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles.

Shingles is not caused by the same virus that causes genital herpes, which is a sexually transmitted disease.

The current Zoster vaccine ZostaVax is a live virus vaccine, and can be administered concurrently with influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.

Most pharmacies offer ZostaVax. The retail price of this vaccine varies based upon insurance coverage and location.

Vaccine discounts can be found at this here.