Recombinant Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower Cardiovascular Burden in a Large Natural Experiment

A national, quasi-experimental analysis comparing adults ≥60 who were vaccinated before vs after the switch from live to recombinant shingles vaccine found the recombinant vaccine associated with about a 9% reduction in a seven-year composite cardiovascular endpoint (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke). Benefit was strongest for ischemic heart disease and heart failure, with some sex-specific effects, and persisted across sensitivity analyses. The authors call for clinical trials to investigate potential cardioprotective mechanisms of shingles vaccines.