TY - JOUR
T1 - Vaccination and clozapine use
T2 - a systematic review and an analysis of the VAERS database
AU - Aksar, Aslihan
AU - Lutz, Justina
AU - Wagner, Elias
AU - Strube, Wolfgang
AU - Luykx, Jurjen J.
AU - Hasan, Alkomiet
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - In the context of COVID-19 concerns related to the potential interactions between clozapine and vaccination arose. With the ultimate goal of deriving recommendations for clinical practice, we systematically reviewed the current evidence regarding altered vaccine effectiveness in clozapine-treated patients and safety aspects of vaccination, such as haematological changes and the impact of vaccines on clozapine blood levels, in clozapine-treated patients. A systematic PRISMA-conform literature search of four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Cochrane Library) complemented by a case-by-case analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database was performed. We then systematically appraised the joint evidence and tried to derive recommendations for clinical practice. 14 records were included in this analysis. These records consisted of 5 original articles and 9 case reports. Among the original articles, two studies provided data on the association between clozapine use and antibody responses to vaccination, both indicating that clozapine use in schizophrenia may be associated with reduced levels of immunoglobulins. Additionally, three studies examined vaccine safety in clozapine-treated patients, with no clinically significant adverse effects directly attributable to the interplay between vaccinations and clozapine. VAERS Analysis encompassed 137 reports and showed no consistent evidence of an increased risk for clozapine blood level increases or adverse events. We found no evidence indicating that clozapine impairs the effectiveness of vaccines. Moreover, no serious safety concerns seem to apply when patients on clozapine are receiving vaccines. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that data on the interaction between clozapine and vaccines remain limited.
AB - In the context of COVID-19 concerns related to the potential interactions between clozapine and vaccination arose. With the ultimate goal of deriving recommendations for clinical practice, we systematically reviewed the current evidence regarding altered vaccine effectiveness in clozapine-treated patients and safety aspects of vaccination, such as haematological changes and the impact of vaccines on clozapine blood levels, in clozapine-treated patients. A systematic PRISMA-conform literature search of four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Cochrane Library) complemented by a case-by-case analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database was performed. We then systematically appraised the joint evidence and tried to derive recommendations for clinical practice. 14 records were included in this analysis. These records consisted of 5 original articles and 9 case reports. Among the original articles, two studies provided data on the association between clozapine use and antibody responses to vaccination, both indicating that clozapine use in schizophrenia may be associated with reduced levels of immunoglobulins. Additionally, three studies examined vaccine safety in clozapine-treated patients, with no clinically significant adverse effects directly attributable to the interplay between vaccinations and clozapine. VAERS Analysis encompassed 137 reports and showed no consistent evidence of an increased risk for clozapine blood level increases or adverse events. We found no evidence indicating that clozapine impairs the effectiveness of vaccines. Moreover, no serious safety concerns seem to apply when patients on clozapine are receiving vaccines. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that data on the interaction between clozapine and vaccines remain limited.
KW - Blood levels
KW - Clozapine
KW - Immunization
KW - Safety
KW - Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)
KW - Vaccination
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85181220352&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00406-023-01729-0
DO - 10.1007/s00406-023-01729-0
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38165458
SN - 0940-1334
JO - European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience
JF - European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience
ER -