ISSUE 1535
- Shingrix - An Adjuvanted, Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccine
- Naldemedine (Symproic) for Opioid-Induced Constipation
- Extended-Release Amantadine (Gocovri) for Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease
- PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer
- In Brief: New Hypertension Guidelines
- Three More Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Advanced Bladder Cancer (online only)
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The FDA has approved an adjuvanted, recombinant varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine (Shingrix – GSK) for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults ≥50 years old. Shingrix is the second herpes zoster vaccine to be approved in the US; Zostavax, a live-attenuated VZV vaccine approved for the same indication, has been available since 2006.1,2
HERPES ZOSTER – Following primary infection, VZV persists in a latent form in sensory ganglia; VZV-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) prevents reactivation and multiplication of latent virus. When CMI falls below a critical threshold, as it can in older and immunocompromised persons, VZV can reactivate, causing shingles and, occasionally, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and other complications. About 1 million cases of shingles occur in the US each year.
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