GSK's Top Selling Vaccine Can Potentially Reduce Dementia Risk, Research Suggests

Scientists have discovered that the shingles vaccine Shingrix, developed by GSK Plc GSK, may reduce the risk of dementia, a finding that could significantly impact public health.

The research, published in Nature Medicine, showed that individuals vaccinated with Shingrix lived an average of 164 days longer without a dementia diagnosis compared to those who received the older Zostavax vaccine.

Related: GSK Says Its Blockbuster Shingles Vaccine Shows High Efficacy Even After 10 Years

The study, led by Maxime Taquet, a clinical lecturer in Oxford University’s psychiatry department, analyzed data from 200,000 people.

Taquet stated the findings were “convincing” and called for further research to validate the hypothesis that shingles vaccination might prevent dementia.

Shingles is an infection caused by a virus. The main symptom is a painful rash. The virus that causes shingles is called varicella zoster.

Shingles, or herpes zoster, occurs when the dormant varicella-zoster virus, which causes childhood chickenpox, reactivates.

The switch from Zostavax to Shingrix in the U.S. health systems in 2017 allowed researchers to compare dementia rates among over 100,000 individuals vaccinated with either vaccine.

Shingrix showed a 17% lower risk of dementia than Zostavax and a 23-27% lower risk than vaccines for other infections, such as flu and tetanus.

Citing Sheona Scales, director of research at the Alzheimer’s Research U.K. charity, the Financial Times report stressed the importance of further research to understand the biological mechanisms behind Shingrix’s potential protective effect against dementia.

While the study adds to the evidence linking shingles vaccination with reduced dementia risk, Scales also pointed out other established dementia risk factors.

Shingrix has become one of GSK’s top-selling products, generating 3.4 billion pounds in revenue worldwide in 2023, with Q4 2023 representing the highest-ever quarter of sales.

GSK acknowledged the new study as part of the “growing body of evidence” suggesting a connection between shingles vaccination and reduced dementia risk.

The company plans to present additional data on Shingrix at an upcoming Alzheimer’s conference in Philadelphia.

Price Action: GSK stock is up 2.50% at $40.04 at the last check on Friday.

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