Hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) is a human

immunoglobulin An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

that is used to prevent the development of

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 ...

and is used for the treatment of acute exposure to HBsAg.

Medical uses

HBIG is indicated as a postexposure prophylaxis for people at risk to develop hepatitis B because they have been recently exposed to

body fluid Body fluids, bodily fluids, or biofluids, sometimes body liquids, are liquids within the human body. In lean healthy adult men, the total body water is about 60% (60–67%) of the total Human body weight, body weight; it is usually slightly lower ...

s of individuals who have hepatitis B. This includes babies of mothers with hepatitis B, sexual partners, healthcare workers, police and fire workers, and morticians. It provides a temporarily induced

immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity desc ...

by the transfer of

s. HBIG is given by either intramuscular (IM) or intravenous (IV) route, depending on the preparation. Side effects include allergic reactions, back pain, general feeling of discomfort, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, and pain or bleeding at the injection site. Allergy to human immunoglobulin is a contraindication. HIV has never been transmitted by HBIG.BlueShield information
Retrieved 2009-06-03 As with all blood-derived products, the transmission of

prion Prions are misfolded proteins that have the ability to transmit their misfolded shape onto normal variants of the same protein. They characterize several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases in humans and many other animals. It ...

s is possible as a residual risk.

Concomitant vaccination

HBIG should be given within 14 days of exposure to the hepatitis B virus. The half-life of HBIG is about 3 weeks. In lieu of a booster administration of HBIG, a

hepatitis B vaccination 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 immunosuppression, poor immune function such as fr ...

is initiated at the time of the initial HBIG administration, thus providing long term protection. HBIG is classified as

pregnancy category The pregnancy category of a medication is an assessment of the risk of fetal injury due to the pharmaceutical, if it is used as directed by the mother during pregnancy. It does ''not'' include any risks conferred by pharmaceutical agents or their ...

C substance by the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

Preparation

HBIG is prepared from the

plasma Plasma or plasm may refer to: Science * Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter * Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral * Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics Biology * Blood pla ...

donor A donor in general is a person, organization or government which donates something voluntarily. The term is usually used to represent a form of pure altruism, but is sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognized by all parties as rep ...

s who have high

antibody An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

levels of the hepatitis B surface antigen. It is extracted from the Cohn fraction II. During the process, viruses are deactivated, and in the final steps, solvents used in the preparation are removed. The preparation is tested for absence of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

, HCV, herpes virus, and

reovirus ''Reoviridae'' is a family of double-stranded RNA viruses. Member viruses have a wide host range, including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, protists and fungi. They lack lipid envelopes and package their segmented genome within multi-layered ...

Brand names

* Bayhep B * HepaGam B (US market; intravenous preparation) * HyperHEP B (US market; intramuscular preparation) * Nabi-HB * Nabi-HB NovaPlus * Zutectra (EU)

References

External links