This Week In The Bmj
New recombinant vaccine improves protection against hepatitis B
BMJ 1997; 314 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.314.7077.0a (Published 01 February 1997) Cite this as: BMJ 1997;314:a
Hepatitis B vaccines containing the S component have been available since the early 1980s. However, 5-10% of healthy people do not mount an antibody response to them and therefore remain susceptible to infection. Several factors, including immunogenetic profiles, seem to affect the immune response. On p 329 Zuckerman et al evaluate a new recombinant hepatitis B vaccine containing three antigenic regions of the surface antigen (S, pre-S1, and pre-S2) in 100 healthcare workers who had not previously responded to standard vaccine. Sixty nine of them seroconverted after a single dose of the new vaccine. This signifies a welcome advance in the development of new third generation vaccines against hepatitis B.