ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025
Real-world effectiveness of recombinant herpes Zoster vaccine: a retrospective, cohort study in Japan.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and Effectiveness of the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine Against Herpes Zoster, Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus, Postherpetic Neuralgia and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Reviews in medical virology · 2026Pooled it
- Unlocking herpes zoster vaccination value in Finland: return on investment and actuarial model.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn Japan, a two-dose, recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (RZV) has been available since 2020, but vaccination coverage is low because vaccination is voluntary. This study investigated the real-world effectiveness of the RZV for preventing herpes zoster (HZ) by using clinical databases.
methodsA retrospective, cohort study was conducted by using databases created at a dermatology clinic in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. Vaccinated patients were extracted from the Shingrix Database, and corresponding unvaccinated patients were selected from the Outpatients Database, with individuals matched by sex, age (5-year intervals), and the outpatient visit date (± 3 months from the vaccination date of the vaccinated patient). Cases of HZ as a study outcome were identified by the HZ Database until August 2024. For analysis, a Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and vaccine effectiveness was calculated as (1 - HR) × 100 (%).
resultsBetween 2020 and 2023, 612 patients received the RZV, and 612 corresponding unvaccinated patients were extracted from the Outpatients Database. Of them, 2 vaccinated patients (0.3%) and 13 unvaccinated patients (2%) developed HZ from the date of the vaccination/outpatient visit until August 2024 (P < 0.01). The adjusted HR (95% CI) of vaccination for HZ infection was 0.15 (0.03–0.66), giving a vaccine effectiveness of 85%. Effectiveness was the same, regardless of age.
conclusionThe RZV provides high effectiveness for preventing HZ in the clinical setting. The necessity or the timing of booster vaccination warrants further investigation.
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