Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix) significantly reduces the risk of shingles across all types of frailty, according to a new analysis of trial data from drugmaker GSK.
Frail people often are underrepresented in randomized clinical trials, even though the condition is strongly tied to illness and adverse health outcomes, the investigators said. To tease out more information about the vaccine’s effects on this group, they pooled data on frail participants from two prior phase 3 randomized trials of the adjuvanted drug.
RZV was “highly effective” in reducing the risk of herpes zoster (shingles) and associated illnesses for all frailty subgroups studied, the researchers found. There was also a trend for reduced side effects (or reactions) as frailty increased, and no safety concerns were found for pre‐frail or frail individuals, they reported.
“This study may help inform older adults, their healthcare providers, and policy makers regarding the benefits of vaccination against [shingles] with the recombinant zoster vaccine,” the authors concluded.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
