Overview

• The pooled analysis found an 18% lower risk of heart attack or stroke in adults 18+ and a 16% reduction in those 50+, with Shingrix associated with about a 21% lower risk.
• Nine studies were meta-analyzed from 19 reviewed—eight observational and one pooled phase III safety RCT not powered for cardiovascular outcomes—with absolute differences of 1.2 to 2.2 fewer major events per 1,000 person-years.
• The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, adding to earlier signals that herpes zoster vaccination could confer cardiovascular benefits.
• Most of the evidence base is observational, the lead author and independent experts cautioned, underscoring the need for confirmatory randomized trials and broader, higher-risk cohorts.
• The work was conducted by a GSK-affiliated team and coincides with NHS England expanding shingles vaccine eligibility to about 300,000 immunocompromised adults from 1 September.