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Immunizations - travel vaccinations - Management
What types of hepatitis B vaccines are available?
- There are several hepatitis B vaccines licensed for use in the UK, all of which are inactivated:
- Engerix B®
- Fendrix®
- HBvaxPRO®
- A combined hepatitis A and B (Twinrix®) vaccine is also available.
- Around 10–15% of adults fail to respond to three doses of vaccine or respond poorly.
Clarification / Additional information
- Fendrix® is indicated for people who have renal insufficiency.
Basis for recommendation
- This information is based on the published medical literature [BNF 52, 2006; DH, 2006c].
- Poor responses are mostly associated with age over 40 years, obesity, and smoking. Lower seroconversion rates have also been reported in alcoholics, particularly those with advanced liver disease. Patients who are immunosuppressed or on renal dialysis may respond less well than healthy individuals and may require larger or more frequent doses of vaccine.
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