The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend two doses of Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, adjuvanted (Shingrix), 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. The recommendations will be reviewed for approval by the Director of the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services. If approved the recommendations are considered finalized and will be published in a future Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The GlaxoSmithKline product was approved in 2017 for the prevention of shingles in adults over age 50; in July 2021 it was approved for immunodeficient adults aged 18 and over.
ACIP’s recommendation was based on data from clinical safety and efficacy trials of Shingrix in adults over age 18 who had undergone an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant and those undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies. There was also supporting data from immunodeficient or immunosuppressed adults due to known disease or therapy, including patients with HIV, solid tumors, and renal transplants.
For adults with functional immune systems, Shingrix is administered in two doses 2 to 6 months apart. For immunocompromised individuals, the second dose can be given 1 to 2 months after the first dose.
