Key clinical point: In a vulnerable population of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), the herpes zoster subunit (HZ/su) vaccine elicited a serological immune response in most patients and had an acceptable safety profile.
Major finding: The geometric mean concentration of vaccine-specific antibody levels increased from 2317 ng/mL prevaccination to 26,916 ng/mL postvaccination ( P < .0001) in patients with RA, with 80.5% of patients showing a ≥4-fold increase in antibody levels. After vaccination, only 6.5% of patients reported an increase in RA disease activity, and adverse events were mostly mild or moderate.
Study details: Findings are from a phase 4 trial including 82 patients with RA treated using JAKi and 51 control individuals without rheumatic diseases, all of whom received two doses of the HZ/su vaccine.
Disclosures: Two authors declared receiving support or research funds for the present study from various sources. T Bergström declared receiving payments or honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline. The other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Källmark H et al. Serologic immunogenicity and safety of herpes zoster subunit vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving Janus kinase inhibitors. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023 (Oct 18). Doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead552.