It is already used in other countries and should arrive in France soon. A new vaccine is being produced in Belgium against shingles, this disease linked to the reactivation of the chickenpox virus and which affects one in three people.
“I started to have a red mark on my chest”. Dominique remembers the pain of shingles as if it were yesterday: a red mark and great fatigue. These are the first symptoms of this disease linked to the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. A new vaccine against shingles must arrive in France to this disease which occurs in the elderly or immunocompromised people, and affects one in three people.
“All night long, I had really, really bad pain in these marks, adds Dominique. I had the appearance of pimples, something that is not very pretty and is extremely painful. Until we cry…” Helpless in the face of this pain, Dominique then called on a magnetizer.
Already a vaccine, not recommended for immunocompromised people
But according to Ludovic Casanova, general practitioner, “There are still certain medications that help reduce pain. These medications do not work in 100% of cases, they have side effects. Sometimes, we are at a therapeutic impasse. But vaccination remains something that cannot be avoided. We should see a little more currently deployed in the population.”
A vaccine against shingles is already available in France but it is not effective enough and is not recommended for immunocompromised people. The arrival of a new remedy is therefore experienced as hope. The production of this vaccine is partly carried out near Brussels in the GSK company factory. 9,000 people work there, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. “Each of our vaccines will undergo a whole series of testing and this can go up to 500 different tests per vaccine, assures Ann Dekoninck, director of production of active substances. This is what makes the production time several months, or even up to 24 months for the most complex ones.”
First doses not reimbursed
The vaccine intended to combat shingles has proven itself in the countries where it is administered, according to Jamila Louahed, research and development manager at GSK. “To date, we have more than 52 million vaccines that have been administered. We have a relatively significant decline. So we have been able to demonstrate through our clinical studies that this effectiveness is maintained regardless of the elderly population that is targeted: 50 year olds, 60 year olds or over 70 year olds.”
The first doses arrived on the French market at the end of July, but they are not reimbursed. The High Health Authority must give its recommendations in the coming weeks before possible coverage by Health Insurance.
Towards a new vaccine against shingles in France – Report by Boris Hallier