Herpes Zoster

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-mediated diseases who receive Janus kinase inhibitors may be at increased risk for herpes zoster infection, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

ATLANTA — Data from the Varicella Zoster Vaccine study demonstrate that administering live, attenuated varicella vaccine to patients taking TNF inhibitors did not result in any safety events or disease flare after 6 weeks. In addition, there were no cases of varicella infection — either wild or vaccine type.

Both herpes zoster vaccines approved for use in the United States showed promise in preventing the disease in immunocompromised patients with malignancies, according to findings from two phase 3 trials published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.