Review of Clinical Studies Suggests Newer Shingles Vaccine is Far More Effective
A systematic review of clinical studies involving more than 2 million patients aged 50 years and older suggests a recently released shingles vaccine was far more successful in preventing the painful condition compared to the older vaccine - but also carried greater risk of side-effects.
The research was published Thursday by The BMJ.
The adjuvant, recombinant subunit vaccine -- sold under the brand name Shingrix -- was found to be 85 percent more effective in reducing cases of shingles, also known as herpes zoster, compared to Zostavax, which is a live-attenuated shingles vaccine available for use in Canada since 2006.
The use of Shingrix did lead to 30 per cent more injection-site adverse events, such as redness or swelling. No statistically significant differences were identified between the two vaccines for serious adverse events and deaths.
"There haven't been any head-to-head studies comparing the two shingles vaccines, so the results from our systematic review can be employed by policy-makers, clinicians, and patients to make their decisions on the use of these vaccines," said Dr. Andrea Tricco, a scientist with St. Michael's Hospital's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and associate professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. "If you have to choose between two vaccines and you have evidence showing that one of the vaccines is a little more effective, or a little safer than the other, then you might be more willing to take the safer and more effective one."
Shingles is a viral infection that occurs through reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox.
About one in four people will develop shingles in their lifetime and about two-thirds get it after the age of 50.
This review, which included 27 unique studies, was funded through an unrestricted research grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network.
Source: St. Michael's Hospital
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
