Herpes zoster recombinant vaccine helps reduce incidence of hepes zoster ophthalmicus: Study
The prevention of herpes zoster (HZ) and subsequent post herpes neuralgia in individuals aged 50 years and older, via the development of new vaccines, is an ongoing research project.
The live zoster vaccine was the first proof of concept that vaccination could prevent HZ, but LZV cannot be used in various immune-compromised patients. This led to the development of a new non-live recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV). This RZV has shown promising results in many clinical trials, with high reactogenicity and similar systemic adverse effects compared to those of LZV. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended LZV as a standard vaccine for HZ prevention in adults ≥ 50 years of age, but limited studies on the safety and efficacy of RZV vaccines have been conducted.
According to a recent research report, Herpes zoster recombinant vaccine has shown effectiveness at reducing the incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (25.5 cases per 100 000 person-years) when compared with the unvaccinated cohort (76.7 cases per 100 000 person-year).The findings have been put forth in Ophthalmology.
"These data support the recommendation of RZV to eligible patients as an effective measure to prevent herpes zoster ophthalmicus."the research team opined.
Researchers undertook the current retrospective, observational cohort study to examine the effectiveness of the recombinant zoster vaccine for preventing herpes zoster ophthalmicus in the general US population.
Individuals enrolled in the OptumLabs® Data Warehouse (OLDW) (OptumLabs, Cambridge, MA) who were age-eligible for herpes zoster vaccination (≥50 years old) from 2018 through 2019. OLDW is a longitudinal, de-identified administrative claims and electronic health record database of patients in the United States with commercial insurance, Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage .
As for the study protocol, Patients were required to have ≥365 days of continuous enrollment to be eligible. Those with a diagnosis code of herpes zoster or an immunocompromising condition within one year prior to study inclusion were excluded. Vaccination with the recombinant zoster vaccine was ascertained by CPT codes, and herpes zoster ophthalmicus was ascertained by ICD-10 codes. Incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated person-time and vaccine effectiveness were assessed.
Data analysis revealed some interesting facts.
- From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 a total of 4 842 579 individuals were included in this study. 177 289 (3.7%) received two valid doses of RZV.
- The incidence rate of herpes zoster ophthalmicus was 25.5 (95% CI: 17.4, 35.8) cases per 100 000 person-years in the vaccinated group compared to 76.7 (95% CI: 74.7, 78.7) in the unvaccinated group.
- The overall adjusted effectiveness of RZV against herpes zoster ophthalmicus was 89.1% (95% CI: 82.9, 93.0).
Primary source:Ophthalmology
For full article follow the link: Effectiveness of the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine for Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus in the United States Ophthalmology 2021 Apr 20;[EPub Ahead of Print], A Lu, Y Sun, TC Porco, BF Arnold, NR Acharya
