The first combined vaccine against hepatitis A and B: an overview

Hepatitis A and B infections are prevalent world-wide and are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. A vaccine providing dual protection agai nst hepatitis A and B is now available (Twinrix(TM), SmithKline Beecham Bio logicals). Six pivotal vaccine trials, involving 843 healthy adults, aged b etween 17 and 60 years and vaccinated following a 0, 1, 6 month schedule ar e discussed. At month 2 more than 99% of the vaccinees were seropositive fo r anti-HAV and 84% were protected against hepatitis B. The third dose induc ed a 12-fold increase in geometric mean titres (GMTs) to 5404 mIU/ml, One m onth after completion of the vaccination course nearly ail vaccinees had pr otective titres against hepatitis B with a GMT of 4818 mIU/ml, Long term fo llow-up data until month 48 is available for two studies. At month 48 all 1 29 vaccinees sampled were still positive for anti-HAV antibodies and >95%, were still protected against hepatitis B. The combined hepatitis A and B vaccine Twinrix(TM) proves to be consistentl y safe, well tolerated and highly immunogenic and compares well with serolo gical responses reached with monovalent vaccines. This combined hepatitis A and B vaccine offers more convenience, potentially better compliance and l ower administration costs. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.