F. Ambrosch et al., CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF A NEW COMBINED HEPATITIS-A AND HEPATITIS-B VACCINE, Journal of medical virology, 44(4), 1994, pp. 452-456
As with hepatitis B vaccines, the recently developed hepatitis A vacci
ne is suitable not only for individual protection, but also for public
health control measures. For introduction into routine immunisation p
rogrammes, however, hepatitis A vaccine should preferably be combined
with other already established vaccines. In particular, a combination
of hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines would be appropriate. We inves
tigated a new combined hepatitis A/hepatitis B vaccine comparing its t
olerability and immunogenicity with that obtained after separate or mi
xed simultaneous administration of the two components. Three groups of
healthy volunteers, each of approximately 50 persons, were included.
All were negative for hepatitis A and hepatitis B markers and had norm
al liver enzyme values. They received hepatitis A (720 ELISA units) an
d hepatitis B (20 mu g) vaccines in the deltoid muscle, combined, mixe
d or separately, according to a 0, 1, 6-month schedule. Blood samples
for determination of antibodies to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) and he
patitis B virus (anti-HBs) and of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were drawn at months 0, 1
, 2, 6, and 7. Local and systemic reactions were monitored by means of
questionnaires. The results of our study demonstrate that the combine
d hepatitis A and B vaccine is well tolerated and highly immunogenic.
The seropositivity and seroprotection rates were 100% for both antigen
s in all groups. Surprisingly, anti-HAV and anti-HBs antibody titres a
fter the combined and mixed vaccines were significantly higher compare
d with the respective monovalent vaccines injected separately. (C) 199
4 Wiley-Liss, Inc.