New Hepatitis B Vaccine Formulated with an Improved Adjuvant System

A new hepatitis B vaccine (FENDrix, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals) containing as active substance 20 microg of recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has recently been licensed in Europe. It is prepared with a novel adjuvant system: aluminum phosphate and 3-O-desacyl-4 -monophosphoryl lipid A. It is intended for use in adults from the age of 15 years onwards for active immunization against hepatitis B virus infection for patients with renal insufficiency (including prehemodialysis and hemodialysis patients). It is applied in a four-dose scheme: day 0, month 1, 2 and 6 after day 0. Due to the improved adjuvant system it induces higher antibody concentrations that reach protective levels in a faster fashion. Furthermore, due to higher titers reached after the primary immunization course, protective levels are retained for a longer period of time. Vaccination with FENDrix induces more transient local symptoms, with pain at the injection site being the most frequently reported solicited local symptom. Other symptoms such as fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders and headaches were also frequently observed but resolved without sequelae. The higher risk of hepatitis B transmission in patients with end-stage renal disease and the often immunocompromised status of these patients afford a tailored vaccination strategy that, up to now, has consisted of injecting double doses of ordinary hepatitis B vaccines. With the introduction of FENDrix there now exists an efficient alternative with superior immunogenicity that is, despite comparatively higher reactogenicity, well tolerated.