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Sci-B-Vac effective in preventing mother-to-child HBV transmission
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LONDON — SciGen Limited’s third-generation hepatitis B vaccine, Sci-B-Vac, was more effective than the recombinant vaccine Engerix-B in protecting newborns against vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus infection, according to interim study results presented at The International Liver Congress 2014.
The Sci-B-Vac vaccine contains all three surface proteins of the HBV derived from mammalian cells compared with a single protein in Engerix-B (GlaxoSmithKline). However, it is not approved for use in the United States.
Israeli researchers compared immunogenicity of the two vaccines in 120 newborns of HBV-positive mothers. The newborns had been passively vaccinated in the delivery room; half with Sci-B-Vac and half with Engerix-B. The researchers collected maternal blood samples at the time of delivery, and the newborns were screened at age 1 year for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) and hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb).
All newborns in the Engerix-B group and 28 newborns in the Sci-B-Vac group had reached age 1 year and were tested for hepatitis B. Ten percent of the newborns in the Engerix-B group were HBsAg-positive carriers vs. none of the newborns in the Sci-B-Vac group. HBcAb was detected in 23.3% of the Engerix-B group vs. 14.3% in the Sci-B-Vac group. Titers of HBsAb <10 mIU/mL were found in 13.3% of newborns who received the Engerix-B vaccine vs. 0% of the Sci-B-Vac newborns. Titers of HBsAb between 100 mIU/mL and 1,000 mIU/mL were found in 46.7% of newborns in the Engerix-B group vs. 71.4% in the Sci-B-Vac group, and titers > 100 mIU/mL were found in 61.7% of newborns in the Engerix-B group vs. 82.1% in the Sci-B-Vac group.
“Sci-B-Vac is superior to Engerix-B for preventing HBV vertical transmission, probably due to a faster and higher response,” the researchers wrote, adding that maternal viral analyses of the Sci-B-Vac group are planned.
For more information:
Safadi R. Abstract #0121. Presented at: The International Liver Congress 2014; April 9-13, 2014; London.Disclosure: Infectious Disease News could not confirm any relevant disclosures at the time of publication.