Hepatitis B Vaccine Shows Superior Protection in People with HIV
New Hepatitis B Vaccine Shows Promise for people Living with HIV
A groundbreaking study offers hope for millions of Americans living with HIV who struggle to develop immunity against hepatitis B.
A new, advanced hepatitis B vaccine has proven significantly more effective than customary vaccines in protecting people living with HIV from the possibly deadly virus, according to a major international study. The research, led by a team from Weill Cornell Medicine and published in JAMA, found that the newer vaccine, HepB-CpG (Heplisav-B), induced protective antibody levels in nearly all participants, compared to just over 80% of those who received the older vaccine, HepB-alum (Engerix-B).
“These findings represent a potential game-changer for the large number of people living with HIV who haven’t been able to achieve protection from traditional hepatitis B vaccines,” said Dr. Kristen Marks,lead author of the study and an infectious disease specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Centre.
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection spread through bodily fluids. It can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer. while a vaccine exists, people with HIV often have weakened immune systems, making it arduous for them to mount a strong immune response to the traditional vaccine.
The study, which involved hundreds of participants, compared the effectiveness of the two vaccines in inducing protective antibody levels. Both vaccines use the same hepatitis B virus protein, but differ in their “adjuvants” – compounds that boost the immune response.
The results were striking. The HepB-CpG vaccine, approved by the FDA in 2017, achieved protective antibody levels in 99.4% of participants who received three doses and 93.1% of those who received the standard two-dose regimen. in contrast, only 80.6% of participants who received the HepB-alum vaccine developed protective antibodies.
This new research builds on previous studies showing the effectiveness of Heplisav-B in other vulnerable populations, including people with diabetes and end-stage kidney disease.
“These findings strongly suggest that clinicians should consider Heplisav-B as the preferred vaccine for boosting immunity against hepatitis B in adults with HIV who lack sufficient antibody protection,” Dr.Marks emphasized.
The study was supported in part by the National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases.
New Hepatitis B Vaccine Offers hope to People Living with HIV
New York,NY – A new generation of hepatitis B vaccine is proving significantly more effective at protecting people living with HIV from the potentially deadly virus,according to a groundbreaking study published in JAMA. This growth offers hope to the millions of Americans living with HIV who struggle to develop immunity against hepatitis B through traditional vaccines.
The research, led by a team from Weill Cornell Medicine, compared the effectiveness of two vaccines: HepB-cpg (Heplisav-B), a newer vaccine approved by the FDA in 2017, and the traditional HepB-alum (Engerix-B).
“These findings represent a potential game-changer for the large number of people living with HIV who haven’t been able to achieve protection from traditional hepatitis B vaccines,” said Dr. Kristen Marks, lead author of the study and an infectious disease specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill cornell Medical Centre.
While existing vaccines are effective for most, people with HIV often have weakened immune systems, making it difficult for them to build sufficient antibodies to fight off the hepatitis B virus. The study found dramatic differences in the effectiveness of the two vaccines in inducing protective antibody levels.
HepB-CpG achieved protective antibody levels in 99.4% of participants who received three doses and 93.1% of those who received the standard two-dose regimen. In contrast, only 80.6% of participants who received the HepB-alum vaccine developed protective antibodies.
This new research builds on previous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Heplisav-B in other vulnerable populations, including those with diabetes and end-stage kidney disease.
“These findings strongly suggest that clinicians should consider Heplisav-B as the preferred vaccine for boosting immunity against hepatitis B in adults with HIV who lack sufficient antibody protection,” Dr. Marks emphasized.
The study was supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.