Immunogenicity and influence on disease activity of recombinant zoster vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with DMARDs

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the immunogenicity and the influence on disease activity of an adjuvanted recombinant varicella-zoster virus (VZV) subunit vaccine (RZV) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). METHODS: T cell responses (cell-mediated immunity; CMI) and IgG antibody responses (humoral immunity; HI) were assessed at 0 and 3 months after the first RZV administration using flow cytometry and enzyme immunoassay, respectively. Disease activity (Disease Activity Score 28-C reactive protein and Clinical Disease Activity Index), flares and adverse events were monitored for 6 months after the first vaccination. RESULTS: VZV-specific CMI and HI significantly increased in the three DMARDs-treated patients with RA after RZV administration compared with the corresponding prevaccination values (p<0.001-0.014), and the magnitudes and fold-increases of those responses were not significantly different among the three DMARDs-treated patients with RA. Furthermore, the vaccine response rates of CMI and HI were not significantly different between csDMARDs-treated patients and b-DMARDs or ts-DMARDs-treated patients. Meanwhile, no significant increases in disease activity indices or adverse events were observed in these patients during the 6-month follow-up period after the first vaccination. RZV-induced RA flares occurred in two patients (3.8%) but were mild and controllable. CONCLUSION: RZV is robustly immunogenic and has a clinically acceptable safety profile in elderly patients with RA receiving DMARDs.