Shingles & Aging

Icon: 50+ years

Nearly everyone ≥50 years of age is at risk for shingles1-3

 

Icon: 99.5%

99.5% of people ≥50 years old are infected with the varicella zoster virus (VZV).2

Icon: One in three people

In 1 out of 3 people, the dormant virus reactivates and causes shingles—a blistering rash that can be excruciatingly painful.1,3

Picture of shingles on back
Picture of shingles on upper back
Picture of shingles on face
Picture of shingles on forehead
Close up picture of shingles
Picture of shingles on neck

Shingles can lead to serious and long-lasting complications, including1:

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN)

  • Nerve pain that lasts months (≥90 days), but can sometimes last years1,4
  • Affected 13% of patients with herpes zoster (HZ) aged 60-79 years and 20% of patients with HZ aged ≥80 years in a population-based study5

Visual complications
Herpes zoster ophthalmicus

  • Affects between 10% and 25% of individuals with shingles1
  • Can lead to ophthalmic complications, such as vision loss in rare cases1

SHINGRIX is not indicated for the prevention of PHN or other complications.4

“The most feared complication of shingles is surely PHN—the prolonged,
sometimes incapacitating pain that continues after resolution of the rash.”6

— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), June 2015
 

Age-related decline in immunity is a dominant driver of shingles1,7,8

 

Age

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Increasing age causes a natural decline in immunity.1

Immunity

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As immune function declines, there is a reduction in the number and functionality of immune cells that prevent reactivation of VZV.1,7-11

Shingles

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Age-related decline in immunity leads to a sharp increase in the incidence and complications of shingles.1,7

You may also be interested in:

Patient Profiles

Use our patient profiles to help identify the types of potential patients for SHINGRIX.

Efficacy

Only SHINGRIX delivered >90% efficacy against shingles regardless of age in those 50 years and older.4,*

Safety Profile

Learn about the results of 2 phase 3 clinical trials in which adverse reactions to SHINGRIX were studied.

*Data from the phase 3 ZOE-50 (≥50 years of age) trial (median follow-up period 3.1 years) and pooled data in individuals ≥70 years of age from the phase 3 ZOE-50 and ZOE-70 trials (median follow-up period 4 years) in subjects who received 2 doses of SHINGRIX (n=7344 and 8250, respectively) or placebo (n=7415 and 8346, respectively). These populations represented the modified Total Vaccinated Cohort, defined as patients who received 2 doses (0 and 2 months) of either SHINGRIX or placebo and did not develop a confirmed case of herpes zoster within 1 month after the second dose.4,12 See study designs on the Efficacy page for details.