Combined

hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them ...

and B vaccine, is used to provide protection against

and

hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the ''Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. Fo ...

. It is given by injection into muscle. It is used in areas where hepatitis A and B are endemic, for travelers, people with

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

or chronic liver disease, and those at high risk of

sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral sex ...

. The combined vaccine is as safe and protective as if given as separate hepatitis A and B vaccines. It is generally well-tolerated. Common side effects are mild and include redness and pain at the injection site, where a small lump may appear. Feeling faint or tired, or a headache may occur. Other side effects include numbness, tingling, rash, bruising, abnormal bleeding such as from the nose or gums, weak muscle or pain. Severe side effects are rare and include an allergic reaction and seizures. It is widely available.

Administration schedule

Routine Twinrix vaccination is administered by intramuscular injection in the deltoid area using a schedule of three separate doses at 0, 1, and 6 months ( inimum intervals: 4 weeks between doses 1 and 2, 5 months between doses 2 and 3. In some circumstances, an accelerated dosing schedule of 0, 7 and 21 to 30 days followed by a booster at 12 months can be used and was shown to have similar efficacy as the traditional schedule.

Efficacy

The U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(CDC) reports that clinical trials found the following levels of protection against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B one month after each dose: :A: 93.8%, 98.8%, 99.9% :B: 30.8%, 78.2%, 98.5% GlaxoSmithKline claims that its studies found 70% of subjects had antibodies against hepatitis B a month after just the first dose, however.Twinrix should not be used for postexposure prophylaxis, because no data are available on the efficacy of combination vaccine for prophylaxis after exposure to HAV.

Availability

Twinrix is a brand manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. The full generic name is

inactivated &

(recombinant) vaccine. Twinrix is administered over three doses. The name was created because it is a mixture of two earlier vaccines — Havrix, an inactivated-virus

Hepatitis A vaccine Hepatitis A vaccine is a vaccine that prevents hepatitis A.Lay summary
...

, and Engerix-B, a recombinant

Hepatitis B vaccine Hepatitis B vaccine is a vaccine that prevents hepatitis B. The first dose is recommended within 24 hours of birth with either two or three more doses given after that. This includes those with poor immune function such as from HIV/AIDS and th ...

. Twinrix first entered the market in early 1997. In the United States, Twinrix is approved by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

(FDA) for those aged 18 and older. In some countries outside the United States, notably Canada and in the European Union, Twinrix is known as Twinrix Adult or Ambirix and a pediatric formulation, called Twinrix Junior or Twinrix Paediatric, is available.

Society and culture

Economics

By being a combination it may reduce administrative costs and achieve a better uptake of the vaccine.

Names

Brand names include Twinrix, Twinrix Junior, Twinrix paediatric, Ambirix, and Bilive.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar , Medicine , Viruses Combination vaccines GSK plc brands Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis vaccines sv:Hepatit#Vaccin