Yes, you can and should receive the flu shot while taking Taltz (ixekizumab).
Patients on Taltz should continue their medication and receive the inactivated influenza vaccine without interruption. The flu shot is safe and recommended for patients taking IL-17 inhibitors like ixekizumab.
Key Evidence Supporting Vaccination on Taltz
FDA Label Guidance
The Taltz FDA label explicitly addresses vaccination: "Avoid use of live vaccines in patients treated with TALTZ" but makes no restriction on inactivated vaccines like the flu shot 1. The label recommends completing age-appropriate immunizations according to current guidelines, and the inactivated influenza vaccine falls into this category.
Guideline Recommendations
The 2022 American College of Rheumatology guideline provides clear direction: for patients on immunosuppressive medications other than methotrexate and rituximab (which includes IL-17 inhibitors like Taltz), continue the immunosuppressive medication during influenza vaccination 2. There is no need to hold or adjust Taltz dosing around the time of flu vaccination.
The 2019 EULAR guideline similarly lists ixekizumab among biologic DMARDs and recommends that patients receive inactivated vaccines, including influenza, while on these medications 3.
Clinical Evidence of Vaccine Response
A randomized controlled trial specifically evaluated ixekizumab's effect on vaccine response. Ixekizumab was noninferior to control for both tetanus and pneumococcal vaccine responses, demonstrating that the medication does not suppress the humoral immune response to non-live vaccines 4. While this study used tetanus and pneumococcal vaccines rather than influenza, the mechanism applies to all inactivated vaccines.
Supporting data from other IL-17 inhibitors shows similar results—secukinumab (another IL-17 inhibitor) did not impair immunogenic response to influenza vaccine 5.
Important Caveats
- Only inactivated (killed) flu vaccines are appropriate—avoid live attenuated influenza vaccine (nasal spray flu vaccine)
- Timing is not critical—unlike methotrexate or rituximab, there is no need to time the vaccine around Taltz dosing or hold the medication
- Vaccine response may be slightly reduced compared to healthy individuals, but protection is still meaningful and clinically important given the increased infection risk in immunosuppressed patients 1
- Active infections are a contraindication—if you have signs of infection (fever, productive cough, etc.), delay vaccination until the infection resolves 1
Practical Approach
- Get vaccinated annually during flu season (typically September-October for optimal protection)
- Continue Taltz on schedule—do not skip or delay doses
- Use standard-dose or high-dose inactivated vaccine—both are appropriate, though some data suggest high-dose formulations may provide better responses in immunocompromised patients 6
- Ensure disease is reasonably controlled—vaccination is preferably administered during quiescent disease when possible 3
The benefit of influenza vaccination in preventing serious complications far outweighs any theoretical concern about reduced vaccine efficacy in patients on Taltz.