Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity following Primary Immunisation with a Combined DTaP-HBV Vaccine and a??Haemophilus influenzae Type B Vaccine Administered by Separate or Mixed Injection

Immunogenicity and safety following primary and booster vaccination with a hexavalent diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine: a randomized trial in the United States

Combined hexavalent diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated poliomyelitis and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib) can further reduce the number of injections in pediatric immunization schedules of countries currently using pentavalent DTaP combination vaccines. This open-label, randomized, multicenter study (NCT02096263) conducted in the United States evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine compared with concomitant administration of DTaP-HBV-IPV and Hib_A or DTaP-IPV/Hib and HBV vaccines. We randomized (1:1:1) infants to receive 3-dose priming with DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib boosted with DTaP+ Hib_B, DTaP-HBV-IPV+ Hib_A boosted with DTaP+ Hib_A, or DTaP-IPV/Hib+ HBV boosted with DTaP-IPV/Hib, at 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months of age. We enrolled and vaccinated 585 participants, 486 received a booster, and 476 completed the study. Of these, 466 participants were included in the primary and 408 in the booster according-to-protocol cohorts for immunogenicity. We demonstrated non-inferiority of DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine to DTaP-HBV-IPV+ Hib_A co-administered vaccines in terms of geometric mean concentrations for pertussis antibodies post-primary vaccination. Post-primary vaccination, seroprotection/seropositivity rates for all vaccine antigens were similarly high between DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib (≥ 94.8%), DTaP-HBV-IPV+ Hib_A (≥ 98.1%) or DTaP-IPV/Hib+ HBV (≥ 97.8%) groups. We observed robust immune responses post-booster, indicating effective priming by the 3 regimens. Reactogenicity was similar in the 3 groups. Twenty-eight serious adverse events were reported during the study; 3 were considered related to vaccination and resolved by the end of the study. These results confirm that DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib could be a valuable additional source of pediatric DTaP, IPV, HBV, and Hib-containing vaccine in countries that currently use multivalent vaccines.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus in Burkina Faso: Screening, vaccination and evaluation of post-vaccination antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen in newborns

The low rate of screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women is a highrisk factor for its vertical transmission. The objectives of this study were: i) to screen pregnant women for HBV infection; ii) vaccinate all children from birth against HBV regardless their mother HBV status; and iii) evaluate after 7 months of birth the level of their AbHBs among babies who received HBV vaccine at birth. Serological markers of HBV (HBsAg, HBeAg, AbHBs, AbHBe, and AbHBc) were determined on venous blood samples from 237 pregnant women and their children using the Abon Biopharm Kit. One hundred and two (102) children received the three doses of the EUVAX B® vaccine respectively at birth, two months and four months of life. Seven months after delivery, venous blood samples were collected from mothers and their children. Antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (AbHBs) were measured in vaccinated children using the ELISA Kit AbHBs Quantitative EIA. DNA extraction was performed on samples from HBV-seropositive mothers and their children using the Ribo Virus (HBV Real-TM Qual) Kit and for Real Time PCR, the HBV Real-TM Qual Kit was used. Serological diagnosis in pregnant women revealed 22 (9.28%) hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive samples of which 21 were positive for viral DNA by real-time PCR. Among the 22 HBsAg+ women, five (05) transmitted the virus to their children with a vertical transmission rate of 22.73%. A transmission rate of 23.81% (5/21) was found with the PCR method. Analysis of AbHBs levels revealed that 98.31% of the children had an average concentration of 218.07 ± 74.66 IU/L, which is well above the minimum threshold for protection (11 IU/L). This study has confirmed that vertical transmission of HBV is a reality in Burkina Faso and that vaccination at birth would significantly reduce this transmission.

Combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine versus separately administered DTP-HBV and HIB vaccines for primary prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae B (HIB)

BACKGROUND

Advantages to combining childhood vaccines include reducing the number of visits, injections and patient discomfort, increasing compliance and optimising prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that routine infant immunisation programmes include a vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) type B (HIB) in the combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination. The effectiveness and safety of the combined vaccine should be carefully and systematically assessed to ensure its acceptability by the community.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness of combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccines versus combined DTP-HBV and separate HIB vaccinations.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 4), which contains the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (January 1966 to week 1, November 2011), EMBASE (January 1990 to November 2011) and www.clinicaltrials.gov (up to April 2011).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs comparing vaccination with any combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine, with or without three types of inactivated polio virus (IPV) or concomitant oral polio vaccine (OPV) in any dose, preparation or time schedule, compared with separate vaccines or placebo, administered to infants up to two years old.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently inspected references identified by the searches and evaluated them against the inclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of included trials.

MAIN RESULTS

Data for the primary outcome (prevention of disease) were lacking. We performed a meta-analysis to pool the results of 20 studies with 5874 participants in an immunogenicity analysis and 5232 participants in the reactogenicity analysis. There were no data on clinical outcomes for the primary outcome (prevention of disease) and all studies used immunogenicity and reactogenicity (adverse events). The number of vaccine doses differed significantly between the studies. Heterogeneous interventions, study location, healthcare environment and combining research across disparate geographical locations, may have lead to bias. The risk of bias was unclear across most of the included studies. Comparisons found little heterogeneity. In two immunological responses the combined vaccine achieved lower responses than the separate vaccines for HIB and tetanus. No significant differences in immunogenicity were found for pertussis, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis B. Serious adverse events were comparable with mainly hospitalisation and acute bronchiolitis cases. Minor adverse events such as pain and redness were more common in children given the combined vaccine. Overall, the direction shown by the results is in favour of the DTPw (diptheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis)-HBV-HIB vaccine rather than the DTPa (diptheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis)-HBV-HIB vaccine when compared to the separate vaccines (size of effect: risk ratio (RR) 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98 to 2.10, for 5269 participants).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We could not conclude that the immune responses elicited by the combined vaccine were different from or equivalent to the separate vaccines. There was significantly less immunological response for HIB and tetanus and more local reactions in the combined injections. However, these differences rely mostly on one study each. Studies did not use an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and we were uncertain about the risk of bias in many of the studies. These results are therefore inconclusive. Studies addressing clinical end points whenever possible, using correct methodology and a large enough sample size should be conducted.

Combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine versus separately administered DTP-HBV and HIB vaccines for primary prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae B (HIB)

BACKGROUND

Advantages to combining childhood vaccines include reducing the number of visits, injections and patient discomfort, increasing compliance, and optimizing prevention. The World Health Organization recommends that routine infant immunization programs include a vaccination against Haemophilus influenza type B (HIB) in the combined diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP)-hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination. The effectiveness and safety of the combined vaccine should be carefully and systematically assessed to ensure their acceptability by the community.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness of combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine with DTP-HBV and HIB vaccinations.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, issue 1) which contains the Acute Respiratory Infection Group's Specialized Register; MEDLINE (January 1966 to March 2009) and EMBASE (January 1990 to March 2009).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing vaccination with any combined DTP-HBV-HIB vaccine, with or without three types of inactivated poliovirus (IPV) or concomitant oral polio vaccine (OPV) in any dose, preparation or time schedule, compared with separate vaccines or placebo, administered to infants aged up to two years.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently inspected references identified by the searches and evaluated them against the inclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of included trials.

MAIN RESULTS

Meta-analysis was performed to pool the results of 18 studies. There were no data on clinical outcomes for the primary outcome and all studies used immunogenicity and reactogenicity (adverse events). In two immunological responses the combined vaccine achieved lower responses than the separate vaccines for HIB and HBV. Comparison found little heterogeneity. No significant differences in immunogenicity were found for pertussis, diphtheria, polio and tetanus. Serious adverse events were comparable. Minor adverse events were more common in children given the combined vaccine.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We could not conclude that the immune responses elicited by the combined vaccine were different from, or equivalent to, the separate vaccines. Data for the primary outcome (prevention of disease) were lacking. There was significantly less immunological response for HIB and HBV, and more local reactions in the combined injections. However, these differences rely mostly on one study each. Studies did not use an intention-to-treat analysis and we were uncertain about the risk of bias in many of the studies. These results are therefore inconclusive. Studies addressing clinical end-points whenever possible, using correct methodology and a large enough sample size should be conducted.

Immunogenicity and safety of combined intradermal recombinant Hepatitis B with BCG vaccines at birth

This randomized, prospective, non-inferiority study aimed to quantify anti-HBs titers induced by recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine from healthy infants vaccinated with combined Hepatitis B and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccines (HbsAg 10 microg plus BCG suspension 0.1mg) and compare them to titers obtained with separated vaccines. Infants were immunized at birth either with combined intradermal (ID) BCG and Hepatitis B or ID BCG alone and intramuscular (IM) Hepatitis B. Both groups received IM Hepatitis B at 1 and 6 months of age. After the third dose anti-HBs titers > or =10 IU/mL were observed in 99% of vaccinees and > or =1000 IU/mL in 71%. There were no adverse events in both groups. Combination of HbsAg with BCG as first dose did not modify the profile of the humoral immune response for Hepatitis B indicating safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine in newborn.