A matched cohort study to evaluate RZV effectiveness in U.S. patients with autoimmune diseases

Age >50 YOA at the index date for all study objectives and registered as beneficiary in the Optum™ database.

• Meet criteria for RA, IBD, SLE, MS, PsO or PsA prior to the index date.
• Receipt of first dose of RZV on or after 1 January 2018.
• 365 days of continuous enrollment (allowing administrative gaps 30 days) prior to the index date (baseline period) and continuous enrollment in the 30 days after the index date.

Any previous RZV doses before index date (for unvaccinated participants only) using all available data.

• Receipt of second dose of RZV less than 28 days apart since Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines state that these participants must repeat the second dose.
• Receipt of ZVL any time during the baseline as this may affect rates of HZ.
• HZ diagnosis or prescription fills for oral acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir given specifically for HZ and within 30 days of index date since it is unclear if the HZ episode began before or after the index date and whether the length of time since vaccination (for RZV vaccinated participants) is long enough to allow for sufficient development of immunity.
• HZ diagnosis or prescription fills for oral acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir in the 12 months before the index date to ensure that HZ diagnoses after the index date are new, rather than carried over from HZ episodes prior to the index date.
• Postherpetic neuralgia diagnosis in the 12 months before the index date.
• Censoring events within 30 days after the index date (before the start of follow-up).