ACR

ACR 2024: RZV vaccine cuts shingles risk in patients with SLE and MS

November 19, 2024

Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) is effective in reducing the risk of herpes zoster (shingles) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and multiple sclerosis (MS), according to findings shared at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

In this retrospective cohort study, researchers analyzed 2018-2023 data from adults aged ≥18 years with SLE or MS, identified from seven commercial insurers and Medicare. Participants who completed the two-dose RZV series were compared to unvaccinated individuals matched by diagnosis, insurer, sex, and age. The vaccine effectiveness (VE) outcome was first herpes zoster (HZ) (diagnosis + oral anti-viral within 7 days) ≥31 days after index. In safety analyses, adults with SLE receiving RZV dose 1 or 2 were separately matched up to 1:4 to unvaccinated patients as above, excluding those with severe SLE flare in the 90 days prior to index. The safety outcome was severe SLE flare (initiation of cyclophosphamide, rituximab, or high-dose glucocorticoids, or hospitalization for SLE or SLE-related condition) ≤90 days after index.

Key findings

Two-dose RZV series provided significant protection against herpes zoster, with VE ranging from 54% to 81% in commercially insured patients and 64% to 70% in Medicare patients. Additionally, the vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of severe SLE flares, with hazard ratios of 0.94 and 0.91 for commercially insured and Medicare patients, respectively.

Source:

Kuberg, S. et al. (2024, November 16). Effectiveness and Safety of the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Patients ≥18 Years of Age with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Multiple Sclerosis. Abstract #0844. Presented at ACR Convergence 2024. https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-and-safety-of-the-recombinant-zoster-vaccine-in-patients-%E2%89%A518-years-of-age-with-systemic-lupus-erythematosus-or-multiple-sclerosis/