Source: DGNews  |  Posted 1 year ago

By Jenny Powers

NICE, France -- May 10, 2010 -- A combined hepatitis A and B vaccine provides excellent protection 10 years after vaccination of healthy children, according to a study presented on May 6 here at the 28th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID).

Pierre Van Damme, MD, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination of the Universiteitsplein Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium presented 10-year follow-up results to the open-label primary vaccination study, in which 237 children aged 1 to 11 years received a hepatitis A/B combination-vaccine.

Yearly blood samples were collected and analysed to measure anti-hepatitis A and anti-hepatitis B antibody concentrations.

One month after receiving the second dose of the primary vaccination course, 100% of children had anti-hepatitis A antibody concentrations >=15 mIU/mL, and 98.5% had anti-hepatitis B titres >=10 mIU/mL.

At year 10, 100% and 99.0% of the individuals who returned for blood testing (n = 171) remained seropositive for anti-hepatitis A and B, respectively; 81.7% remained above 10 mIU/mL for anti-HBs.

A challenge dose of the hepatitis B vaccine was given to 25 individuals at year 10; all subjects demonstrated an anamnestic response, indicating the persistence of immune memory. The challenge dose was well tolerated.

The most frequently reported adverse event was injection-site pain. No grade 3 adverse events were reported.

The authors concluded that the immune response to hepatitis A and hepatitis B induced by the 2-dose primary vaccination schedule persists for at least 10-years after primary vaccination and protects against both hepatitis A and B disease. The reduced schedule of the combined vaccine requires fewer injections and clinic visits with comparable protection.

Funding for this study was provided by GlaxoSmithKline.

[Presentation title: Long-Term Immunogenicity After 2-Doses of the Adult Formulation Combined Hepatitis A and B Vaccination in Children Aged 1-11 Years. Abstract 630]