Sales of £460 shingles jab rise over claims it can help prevent dementia

Published: 20:29 EDT, 26 September 2026 | Updated: 20:30 EDT, 26 September 2026 Sales of a £460 shingles vaccine have more than doubled in a year after claims it can help prevent dementia.Over-50s are lining up at Boots for the Shingrix vaccine after studies said it can reduce the risk of dementia by up to 20 per cent.Those aged 65 and over can get the drug on the NHS, but it is also available to the over-50s if they are willing to pay.The pharmacy chain said bookings increased 30 per cent in the year to September 2025, and more than doubled in the past 12 months.Shingrix maker Glaxo-SmithKline said 2025 was 'another record year' for the vaccine, with sales of £3.6billion.Shingles is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. It causes a painful blistering rash, typically around the waist. Severe cases can lead to secondary infections, neurological problems and pain that lasts for months.Scientists have long believed there to be a link between shingles and dementia. A woman wearing blue latex gloves gives a patient a dose of medicine in their arm in the USBut the evidence from a recent study has intrigued researchers, with the possibility that vaccines may boost the immune system's response to the point where it fights other things aside from the intended virus, such as neuro-inflammation and infections linked to dementia.A Stanford University study last year, which compared two groups in Wales, found the vaccine reduced the possibility of a new dementia diagnosis by up to 20 per cent among those who had it.And former health minister Lord Bethell wrote in The Mail on Sunday that he is paying for the jab because he is so convinced it will stop him getting the condition.However, Dr Alasdair Munro, of the University of Southampton, who designs and runs clinical trials for vaccines, warned: 'History is littered with examples where these types of studies found what looked like very promising effects, but when we went to trial them... they failed to replicate those findings.'