Shingles Vaccine Coming for Immunodeficient or Immunosuppressed People

GlaxoSmithKline plc announced on October 20, 2021, that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend two doses of Shingrix vaccine for the prevention of shingles and its complications in adults 19 years of age and older who are or will be immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due to disease or therapy.

Today's ACIP vote means that millions of adults at increased risk of shingles due to immunodeficiency or immunosuppression are now recommended to receive Shingrix.

Shingrix is intended to be administered in two doses, 2 to 6 months apart, for immunocompetent adults.

However, for adults who are or will be immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due to known disease or therapy and who would benefit from a shorter vaccination schedule, the second dose can be administered 1 to 2 months after the first dose.

"Today's recommendation is an important clinical advancement in providing protection from shingles and its complications to adults with immunodeficiency or immunosuppression," stated Sabine Luik, Chief Medical Officer & SVP Global Medical Regulatory & Quality, GSK, in a related press statement. 

"The ACIP's vote helps to address an existing unmet need as individuals who are immunocompromised are at an increased risk of the disease."

This approval and recommendation for a new population were based on clinical studies examining the safety and efficacy of Shingrix in adults (≥18 years of age) who had undergone an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant and those undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies.

In addition, other safety and immunogenicity data were generated in adults who were, or were anticipated to be, immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due to known disease or therapy, including patients with HIV, solid tumors, and renal transplants.

Shingrix combines a non-live antigen to trigger a targeted immune response with a specifically designed adjuvant system to generate a Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV)-specific immune response. Shingrix is not indicated for the prevention of primary varicella infection (chickenpox).

GSK is a science-led global healthcare company based in London and Philadelphia with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer.