Sino-Singapore Jingwei, June 20 (Wang Yuling) On the 20th, the topics of "It is recommended to take parents to get the shingles vaccine as soon as possible" and "Shingles can be dormant in the body for decades" appeared on Weibo hot search.
In this regard, some netizens commented that "after HPV and Helicobacter pylori, the herpes zoster vaccine is ushered in, and the vaccine anxiety in the 21st century".
So, is discussing the shingles vaccine "vaccine anxiety"?
What is the relationship between vaccine supply and demand?
Who is producing?
Conditional vaccination
The so-called herpes zoster, commonly known as "snake" and "leanthrop", is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that has been latent in the spinal cord dorsal root ganglion or cranial ganglia for a long time. Infectious diseases caused by activation, the clinical manifestations are mainly banded and clustered herpes along the peripheral nerves on one side of the body.
Shingles and chickenpox can be said to have "the same root". Yan Yan, deputy chief physician of the Department of Dermatology, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, wrote in "Doctor Youlai" that herpes zoster is not chickenpox, but both diseases are caused by chickenpox-induced varicella. Herpes zoster virus infection, chickenpox is caused by the first infection, herpes zoster is a latent and recurrent infection of the virus after chickenpox has recovered.
Sino-Singapore Jingwei noticed that herpes zoster has two notable characteristics. One is the high infection rate. According to public information, herpes zoster is more common in people who are older, immunosuppressed or immunocompromised.
According to Professor Chang Jianmin, director of the Department of Dermatology of Beijing Hospital and deputy director of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of Peking University, in my country, about 99.5% of adults aged 50 and above have latent chickenpox-shingles virus in their bodies, and people aged 50 and above are infected every year. About 1.56 million people have herpes zoster. The "Chinese Expert Consensus on Diagnosis and Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia" points out that the annual incidence of herpes zoster is about 3-5‰.
The second is the great pain that patients need to endure.
According to an article written by Hangzhou CDC, shingles is very painful when it occurs, such as cutting, burning, electric shock, whiplash, and the degree of pain is higher than that of childbirth. Some patients even suffer from inattention, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, etc. state, subject to both physical and psychological torture.
Some netizens commented: "Once you get sick, it invades the nerves, and the pain is terrifying."
The herpes zoster vaccine, the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (CHO cells), will be officially launched in my country in stages in early July 2020. It is suitable for the prevention of herpes zoster. The vaccination targets are adults aged 50 and above, and the immunization program is 2 doses. , the vaccination interval is 2 months, and the longest is not more than 6 months.
According to a document issued by the Shanghai CDC, the shingles vaccine can provide more than 90% of the vaccine efficacy for all vaccinated people aged 50 and over, and the protective efficacy did not decrease significantly 4 years after vaccination.
Should the average person get the shingles vaccine?
A dermatologist from a tertiary hospital said to Sino-Singapore Jingwei: "Vaccination is conditional, but not required."
hesitant due to price
What does "conditional" mean?
On the one hand, according to the "Expert Consensus on Herpes Zoster Vaccination Vaccination", it recommends that people aged 50 years and older with normal immune function (regardless of whether the individual has a history of chickenpox infection or vaccinated with chickenpox) receive the shingles vaccine, which should not be used. A history of severe allergic reaction to any component of this vaccine.
The recombinant herpes zoster vaccine marketed in my country is a live attenuated vaccine and is not recommended for patients with immunodeficiency or immunosuppressive diseases.
On the other hand, the price of vaccination is higher.
Because the shingles vaccine is a vaccine outside the national immunization plan, patients need to pay for it.
The price announced by the Shanghai CDC is 1,603.5 yuan per dose, and the full vaccination price is 3,207 yuan, which is also the general price of community centers around the world.
On platforms such as JD.com, there are also some private hospitals that can receive shingles vaccine, including United Family Hospital, New Century Women's and Children's Hospital, Taihe Maternity Hospital, etc.
The price is slightly higher than that of the community health center, ranging from 3,200 yuan to 3,900 yuan.
Due to the price issue, a staff member of a local community service center told Sino-Singapore Jingwei that many people are waiting to see whether to get shingles vaccine.
"Last month, we reported 10 seedlings with the CDC, a little more this month, and it was pretty much the same before. There were a lot of consultations, but it was too expensive and couldn't be paid with a medical insurance card, so fewer people actually came to fight. ." said the staff member.
However, in the recent past, due to various factors, the shingles vaccination fever has increased, and even "out of stock" has appeared in some areas.
According to the Pazhou Community Health Service Station, Pazhou Street, Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, due to the large number of people who have recently made an appointment for the shingles vaccine, the vaccine inventory is tight, and residents who have made an appointment need to wait patiently for the vaccination.
The community health service center of Fenghuang Street, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City said that the shingles vaccine is out of stock, and it is expected to be delivered on July 19.
The Community Health Service Center of Jinhua Street, Liwan District, Guangzhou City stated that the shingles vaccine is currently out of stock and is expected to be delivered by the end of the month.
Domestic listing enters the countdown
Finally, it is worth noting that there is only one recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (CHO cell) on the market in my country at present, that is, Shingrix, an adjuvanted recombinant herpes zoster vaccine developed and produced by GlaxoSmithKline.
In October 2017, Shingrix was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of herpes zoster in adults ≥ 50 years old. In November 2018, the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (CHO cells) was included in the first batch of overseas new drugs in urgent clinical need in my country. .
In early July 2020, the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (CHO cell) Shingrix was officially launched in my country in stages for the prevention of herpes zoster in adults aged 50 and over.
According to Watson Bio's 2020 annual report, among the top ten vaccines with the highest sales volume in the world, GlaxoSmithKline's recombinant shingles vaccine Shingrix ranks fifth, with sales revenue reaching US$2.57 billion in 2020 alone.
Sino-Singapore Jingwei noticed that the U.S. sales price of Shingrix is lower than that in China.
According to GoodRX's official website, without any insurance and coupons, the retail price of Shingrix in the United States is $211.15 per needle, which is equivalent to 1413 yuan.
The discount rate of Shingrix ranges from 7% to 26%, that is, the price of complete vaccination is about 2057 yuan to 2510 yuan.
Screenshot of GoodRX official website
At present, a number of domestic pharmaceutical companies are working on the research and development of herpes zoster vaccine, including Baike Bio, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products, Green Bamboo Bio, and Yidao Bio.
From the perspective of research and development progress, Baike Biotechnology may come out on top.
According to Essence Securities, in April 2022, the application for marketing authorization of Baike Bio’s recombinant herpes zoster vaccine was accepted by NMPA.
Green Bamboo Bio-recombinant herpes zoster vaccine entered Phase 2 clinical trials, Shanghai Institute of Biological Products shingles vaccine entered Phase 1/2 clinical trials, and Yidao Bio-recombinant herpes zoster vaccine entered Phase 1/2 clinical trials.
According to the analysis of Debon Securities, according to the US CDC data, the penetration rate of shingles vaccine in the US population over 60 years old in 2017 was as high as 34.9%. According to GSK's sales in the US, the CDC recommended vaccine price list, and two vaccinations per person It is estimated that the coverage rate of the shingles vaccine in the United States in 2020 among people over 50 years old is nearly 41%. Since the shingles vaccine has been launched in my country soon, the penetration rate is only 0.3%. Compared with developed economies, my country's shingles vaccine The herpes vaccine market has huge growth potential.
(The opinions in this article are for reference only and do not constitute investment advice. Investment is risky, and you need to be cautious when entering the market.)
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