Shingrix Herpes Zoster Vaccine (Recombinant, Adjuvanted) 1. Name of The Medicinal Product
Shingrix Herpes Zoster Vaccine (Recombinant, Adjuvanted) 1. Name of The Medicinal Product
Shingrix Herpes Zoster Vaccine (Recombinant, Adjuvanted) 1. Name of The Medicinal Product
SHINGRIX
For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1 List of excipients.
3. PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
4. CLINICAL PARTICULARS
SHINGRIX is indicated for prevention of herpes zoster (HZ) and post-herpetic neuralgia
(PHN), in adults 50 years of age or older (see section 5.1 Pharmacodymanic Properties).
Posology
The primary vaccination schedule consists of two doses of 0.5 ml each: an initial dose
followed by a second dose 2 months later.
If flexibility in the vaccination schedule is necessary, the second dose can be administered
between 2 and 6 months after the first dose (see section 5.1 Pharmacodymanic Properties).
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The need for booster doses following the primary vaccination schedule has not been
established (see section 5.1 Pharmacodymanic Properties).
SHINGRIX can be given with the same schedule in individuals previously vaccinated with
live attenuated HZ vaccine (see section 5.1 Pharmacodymanic Properties).
Paediatric Population:
The safety and efficacy of SHINGRIX in children and adolescents have not been established.
No data are available.
Method of Administration
For instructions on reconstitution of the medicinal product before administration, see section
6.6 Special precautions for disposal and other handling.
4.3 Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to the active substances or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1 List
of excipients.
Prior to immunisation
As with all injectable vaccines, appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always
be readily available in case of an anaphylactic event following the administration of the
vaccine.
As with any vaccine, a protective immune response may not be elicited in all vaccinees.
The vaccine is for prophylactic use only and is not intended for treatment of established
clinical disease.
Maladministration via the subcutaneous route may lead to an increase in transient local
reactions.
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SHINGRIX should be given with caution to individuals with thrombocytopenia or any
coagulation disorder since bleeding may occur following intramuscular administration to
these subjects.
Syncope (fainting) can occur following, or even before, any vaccination as a psychogenic
response to the needle injection. This can be accompanied by several neurological signs such
as transient visual disturbance, paraesthesia and tonic-clonic limb movements during
recovery. It is important that procedures are in place to avoid injury from faints.
There are limited data to support the use of SHINGRIX in individuals with a history of HZ
and in frail individuals including those with multiple comorbidities (see section 5.1
Pharmacodymanic Properties). Healthcare professionals therefore need to weigh the benefits
and risks of HZ vaccination on an individual basis.
As with other vaccines, an adequate immune response may not be elicited in these
individuals. The administration of SHINGRIX to immunocompromised subjects should be
based on careful consideration of potential benefits and risks.
4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
In three phase III, controlled, open-label clinical studies, adults ≥ 50 years of age were
randomised to receive 2 doses of SHINGRIX 2 months apart administered either
concomitantly at the first dose or non-concomitantly with an unadjuvanted inactivated
seasonal influenza vaccine (N=828; Zoster-004), a PPV23 vaccine (N=865; Zoster-035) or a
dTpa vaccine formulated with 0.3 milligrams Al3+ (N=830; Zoster-042). The immune
responses of the co-administered vaccines were unaffected, with the exception of lower
geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) for one of the pertussis antigens (pertactin) when
SHINGRIX is co-administered with the dTpa vaccine. The clinical relevance of this data is
not known.
The adverse reactions of fever and shivering were more frequent when PPV23 vaccine is co-
administered with SHINGRIX.
Concomitant use with other vaccines is not recommended due to lack of data.
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4.6 Pregnancy and Lactation
Pregnancy
There are no data from the use of SHINGRIX in pregnant women. Animal studies do not
indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to pregnancy, embryonal/foetal
development, parturition or post-natal development (see section 5.3 Preclinical safety data).
Lactation
The effect on breast-fed infants of administration of SHINGRIX to their mothers has not been
studied. It is unknown whether SHINGRIX is excreted in human milk.
Fertility
Animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect effects with respect to fertility in males or
females (see section 5.3 Preclinical safety data).
No studies on the effects of SHINGRIX on the ability to drive and use machines have been
performed.
SHINGRIX may have a minor influence on the ability to drive and use machines in the 2-3
days following vaccination. Fatigue and malaise may occur following administration (see
section 4.8 Undesirable Effects).
The most frequently reported adverse reactions were pain at the injection site (68.1%
overall/dose; 3.8% severe/dose), myalgia (32.9% overall/dose; 2.9% severe/dose), fatigue
(32.2% overall/dose; 3.0% severe/dose) and headache (26.3% overall/dose; 1.9%
severe/dose). Most of these reactions were not long-lasting (median duration of 2 to 3 days).
Reactions reported as severe lasted 1 to 2 days.
The incidence of adverse reactions was higher in subjects aged 50-69 years compared to
those aged ≥70 years, especially for general adverse reactions such as myalgia, fatigue,
headache, shivering, fever and gastrointestinal symptoms.
The safety profile presented below is based on a pooled analysis of data generated in placebo-
controlled clinical studies on 5,887 adults 50-69 years of age and 8,758 adults ≥ 70 years of
age. Adverse reactions reported during post-marketing surveillance are also tabulated below.
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Adverse reactions reported are listed according to the following frequency:
4.9 Overdose
5. PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Mechanism of Action
By combining the VZV specific antigen (gE) with an adjuvant system (AS01B), SHINGRIX is
designed to induce antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in individuals
with pre-existing immunity against VZV.
Non-clinical data show that AS01B induces a local and transient activation of the innate
immune system through specific molecular pathways. This facilitates the recruitment and
activation of antigen presenting cells carrying gE-derived antigens in the draining lymph
node, which in turn leads to the generation of gE-specific CD4+ T cells and antibodies. The
adjuvant effect of AS01B is the result of interactions between MPL and QS-21 formulated in
liposomes.
Efficacy of SHINGRIX
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Efficacy against Herpes Zoster (HZ) and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
- ZOE-50 (Zoster-006): 15,405 adults ≥ 50 years were randomised to receive two doses of
either SHINGRIX (N=7,695) or placebo (N=7,710) administered 2 months apart,
- ZOE-70 (Zoster-022): 13,900 adults ≥ 70 years were randomised to receive two doses of
either SHINGRIX (N=6,950) or placebo (N=6,950) administered 2 months apart.
The studies were not designed to demonstrate efficacy in subgroups of frail individuals,
including those with multiple comorbidities, although these subjects were not excluded from
the studies.
Efficacy results against HZ and PHN observed in the modified Total Vaccinated Cohort
(mTVC), i.e. excluding adults who did not receive the second dose of vaccine or who had a
confirmed diagnosis of HZ within one month after the second dose, are presented in Table 1
and Table 2, respectively.
SHINGRIX Placebo
Number of Number Incidence Number Number Incidence
Vaccine efficacy
Age evaluable of HZ rate per of of HZ rate per 1000
(%)
(years) subjects cases 1000 evaluable cases person years [95% CI]
person subjects
years
ZOE-50*
97.2
≥ 50 7,344 6 0.3 7,415 210 9.1
[93.7; 99.0]
96.6
50-59 3,492 3 0.3 3,525 87 7.8
[89.6; 99.4]
97.6
≥ 60 3,852 3 0.2 3,890 123 10.2
[92.7; 99.6]
97.4
60-69 2,141 2 0.3 2,166 75 10.8
[90.1; 99.7]
Pooled ZOE-50 and ZOE-70**
91.3
≥ 70 8,250 25 0.8 8,346 284 9.3
[86.8; 94.5]
91.3
6,468 19 0.8 6,554 216 8.9
70-79 [86.0; 94.9]
91.4
≥ 80 1,782 6 1.0 1,792 68 11.1
[80.2; 97.0]
CI Confidence interval
* Over a median follow-up period of 3.1 years
** Over a median follow-up period of 4.0 years
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Data in subjects ≥ 70 years of age are sourced from the pre-specified pooled analyses
of ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 (mTVC) as these analyses provide the most robust estimates
for vaccine efficacy in this age group.
SHINGRIX significantly decreased the incidence of PHN compared with placebo in adults ≥
50 years (0 vs. 18 cases in ZOE-50) and in adults ≥ 70 years (4 vs. 36 cases in the pooled
analysis of ZOE-50 and ZOE-70).
SHINGRIX Placebo
Number of Number Incidence Number Numb Incidence Vaccine
Age evaluable of PHN* rate per of er of rate per efficacy (%)
(years) subjects cases 1000 person evaluable PHN 1000 [95% CI]
years subjects cases person
years
ZOE-50**
100
≥ 50 7,340 0 0.0 7,413 18 0.6
[77.1; 100]
100
3,491 0 0.0 3,523 8 0.6
50-59 [40.8; 100]
100
≥ 60 3,849 0 0.0 3,890 10 0.7
[55.2; 100]
100§
2,140 0 0.0 2,166 2 0.2
60-69 [< 0; 100]
Pooled ZOE-50 and ZOE-70***
88.8
≥ 70 8,250 4 0.1 8,346 36 1.2
[68.7; 97.1]
93.0
6,468 2 0.1 6,554 29 1.2
70-79 [72.4; 99.2]
71.2§
≥ 80 1,782 2 0.3 1,792 7 1.1
[< 0; 97.1]
* PHN was defined as zoster-associated pain rated as ≥3 (on a 0-10 scale), persisting or
appearing more than 90 days after onset of zoster rash using Zoster Brief Pain Inventory
(ZBPI)
CI Confidence interval
** Over a median follow-up period of 4.1 years
*** Over a median follow-up period of 4.0 years
Data in subjects ≥ 70 years of age are sourced from the pre-specified pooled analyses
of ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 (mTVC) as these analyses provide the most robust estimates
for vaccine efficacy in this age group.
§ Not statistically significant
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The benefit of SHINGRIX in the prevention of PHN can be attributed to the effect of the
vaccine on the prevention of HZ. A further reduction of PHN incidence in subjects with
confirmed HZ could not be demonstrated due to the limited number of HZ cases in the
vaccine group.
In the fourth year after vaccination, the efficacy against HZ was 93.1 % (95% CI: 81.2; 98.2)
and 87.9% (95% CI: 73.3; 95.4) in adults ≥ 50 years and adults ≥ 70 years, respectively.
The duration of protection beyond 4 years is currently under investigation.
Overall there was a general trend towards less severe HZ-related pain in subjects vaccinated
with SHINGRIX compared to placebo. As a consequence of the high vaccine efficacy against
HZ, a low number of breakthrough cases were accrued, and it was therefore not possible to
draw firm conclusions on these study objectives.
In subjects ≥ 70 years with at least one confirmed HZ episode (ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 pooled),
SHINGRIX significantly reduced the use and the duration of HZ-related pain medication by
39.0% (95% CI: 11.9; 63.3) and 50.6% (95% CI: 8.8; 73.2), respectively. The median
duration of pain medication use was 32.0 and 44.0 days in the SHINGRIX and placebo group,
respectively.
In subjects with at least one confirmed HZ episode, SHINGRIX significantly reduced the
maximum average pain score versus placebo over the entire HZ episode (mean = 3.9 vs. 5.5,
P-value = 0.049 and mean = 4.5 vs. 5.6, P-value = 0.043, in subjects ≥ 50 years (ZOE-50) and
≥ 70 years (ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 pooled), respectively). In addition, in subjects ≥ 70 years
(ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 pooled), SHINGRIX significantly reduced the maximum worst pain
score versus placebo over the entire HZ episode (mean = 5.7 vs. 7.0, P-value = 0.032).
The burden-of-illness (BOI) score incorporates the incidence of HZ with the severity and
duration of acute and chronic HZ-related pain over a 6 month period following rash onset.
The efficacy in reducing BOI was 98.4% (95% CI: 92.2; 100) in subjects ≥ 50 years (ZOE-
50) and 92.1% (95% CI: 90.4; 93.8) in subjects ≥ 70 years (ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 pooled).
Immunogenicity of SHINGRIX
An immunological correlate of protection has not been established; therefore, the level of
immune response that provides protection against HZ is unknown.
The immune responses to SHINGRIX were evaluated in a subset of subjects from the phase
III efficacy studies ZOE-50 [humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity (CMI)] and
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ZOE-70 (humoral immunity). SHINGRIX elicited higher gE-specific immune responses
(humoral and CMI) at 1 month post-dose 2 when compared to pre-vaccination levels.
The humoral immunogenicity and CMI results are presented in Tables 3 and 4, respectively.
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^ gE-specific CD4[2+] T cell response = gE-specific CD4+ T cell activity, measured by
intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay (CD4[2+] T cells = CD4+ T cells expressing at
least 2 of 4 selected immune markers)
* Month 3 = 1 month post-dose 2
** Month 38 = 3 years post-dose 2
N Number of evaluable subjects at the specified time point
Q1; Q3First and third quartiles
*** The gE-specific CD4[2+] data in the ≥70 years of age group were generated in ZOE-
50 because CD4+ T cell activity was not assessed in ZOE-70
Data from a phase II, open-label, single group, follow-up clinical study in adults ≥ 60 years
(Zoster-024) indicate that the vaccine-induced immune response (humoral and CMI) persists
up to approximately 6 years following a 0, 2-month schedule (N= 119). The median anti-gE
antibody concentration was greater than 7-fold above the baseline pre-vaccination median
concentration. The median frequency of gE-specific CD4[2+] T cells was greater than 3.7-
fold above baseline pre-vaccination median frequency.
In a phase III, open-label clinical study (Zoster-026) where 238 adults ≥ 50 years of age were
equally randomised to receive 2 doses of SHINGRIX 2 or 6 months apart, the humoral
immune response following the 0, 6-month schedule was demonstrated to be non-inferior to
the response with the 0, 2-month schedule. The anti-gE GMC at 1 month after the last
vaccine dose was 38,153.7 mIU/ml (95% CI: 34,205.8; 42,557.3) and 44,376.3 mIU/ml (95%
CI: 39,697.0; 49,607.2) following the 0, 6-month schedule and the 0, 2-month schedule,
respectively.
Subjects with a history of HZ were excluded from ZOE-50 and ZOE-70. In a phase III,
uncontrolled, open-label clinical study (Zoster-033), 96 adults ≥ 50 years of age with a
physician-documented history of HZ received 2 doses of SHINGRIX 2 months apart.
Laboratory confirmation of HZ cases was not part of the study procedures. The anti-gE GMC
at 1 month after the last vaccine dose was 47,758.7 mIU/ml (95% CI: 42,258.8; 53,974.4).
There were 9 reports of suspected HZ in 6 subjects over a one-year follow up period. This is
a higher recurrence rate than generally reported in observational studies in unvaccinated
individuals with a history of HZ. (See section 4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use)
Immunocompromised subjects
Two phase I/II clinical studies, Zoster-001 and Zoster-015, were conducted in subjects with
autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant or HIV infection. A total of 135 adults, of
whom 73 were ≥50 years of age, received at least one dose of SHINGRIX, which was shown
to be immunogenic and well-tolerated.
Immunogenicity in individuals previously vaccinated with live attenuated herpes zoster (HZ)
vaccine
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In a phase III, open-label, multi-centre clinical study (Zoster-048), a 2 dose schedule of
SHINGRIX 2 months apart was assessed in 215 adults ≥ 65 years of age with a previous
history of vaccination with live attenuated HZ vaccine ≥ 5 years earlier compared to 215
matched subjects who had never received live attenuated HZ vaccine. The immune response
to SHINGRIX was unaffected by prior vaccination with live attenuated HZ vaccine.
Not applicable.
Non-clinical data reveal no special hazard for humans based on conventional studies of acute
and repeated dose toxicity, local tolerance, cardiovascular/respiratory safety pharmacology
and toxicity to reproduction and development.
6. PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS
6.2 Incompatibilities
This medicinal product must not be mixed with other medicinal products.
36 months
The expiry date of the vaccine is indicated on the label and packaging.
After reconstitution:
Chemical and physical in-use stability has been demonstrated for 24 hours at 30°C.
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From a microbiological point of view, the vaccine should be used immediately. If not used
immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user
and would normally not be longer than 6 hours at 2°C to 8°C.
For storage conditions after reconstitution of the medicinal product, see Section 6.3 Shelf Life.
• Powder for 1 dose in a vial (type I glass) with a stopper (butyl rubber)
• Suspension for 1 dose in a vial (type I glass) with a stopper (butyl rubber).
SHINGRIX is presented as a vial with a brown flip-off cap containing the powder (antigen)
and a vial with a blue-green flip-off cap containing the suspension (adjuvant).
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1. Withdraw the entire contents of the vial containing the suspension into the syringe.
2. Add the entire contents of the syringe into the vial containing the powder.
3. Shake gently until the powder is completely dissolved.
The reconstituted vaccine should be inspected visually for any foreign particulate matter
and/or variation of appearance. If either is observed, do not administer the vaccine.
After reconstitution, the vaccine should be used promptly; if this is not possible, the vaccine
should be stored in a refrigerator (2°C – 8°C). If not used within 6 hours it should be
discarded.
Before administration:
1. Withdraw the entire contents of the vial containing the reconstituted vaccine into the
syringe.
2. Change the needle so that you are using a new needle to administer the vaccine.
Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with
local requirements.
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