Take 4: What new vaccines are currently being researched?

There are a few new vaccines on the horizon, including vaccines for shingles, gastroenteritis, pseudomonas and staphylococcus

There are a few new vaccines on the horizon, including vaccines for shingles, gastroenteritis, pseudomonas and staphylococcus.

The new shingles vaccine under development differs from Zostavax in that it’s an adjuvanted subunit vaccine, Associate Professor Michael Woodward, a geriatrician at Austin Hospital in Melbourne, says.

It’s likely to be marketed in Australia in the next few years, giving us two approaches for shingles vaccination, he says.

“The subunit vaccine, which is adjuvated, is certainly more appropriate in those who are immunosuppressed where the live-attenuated vaccine may be contraindicated,” he says.

“It is a two-dose vaccine so there are issues then around compliance … Because it is adjuvated it does have a higher local and systemic reaction response and therefore it may be that people will not come back for the second dose if they have an unwanted response to them in the first dose.”

[media_embed] https://player.vimeo.com/video/260192614 [/media_embed]