New approaches to hepatitis B vaccines
Gerin, J.L.; Purcell, R.H.
Progress in Clinical and Biological Research 143: 369-377
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0361-7742 PMID: 6230679 Document Number: 212006
Current HBV vaccines are composed of subviral forms of HBsAg purified from pooled human plasma, inactivated and absorbed to alum. These vaccines have established an excellent record of safety and efficacy in clinical trials to date. Economic factors and theoretical safety problems associated with the plasma donor population, however, have stimulated an intense interest in the development of alternative vaccines for HBV. The recombinant DNA and synthetic peptide approaches appear to offer the greatest potential for future generations of HBV vaccines. Such vaccines would be free of the potential safety problems associated with plasma source material and could assure the continued supply of uniform HBsAg for vaccine use.