Overview
- HBV disease is a significant cause of acute and chronic liver disease worldwide.
- Mother-to-infant transmission is the main mode of transmission to susceptible subjects, which can be prevented with HBV vaccine alone or in combination with hepatitis B immunoglobulin. This intervention markedly reduces the number of new HBsAg carriers.
- For subjects not responding to current HBV vaccines as reflected by an inadequate anti-HBs titer, future generation vaccines incorporating additional vaccine components such as preS1 and preS2 may improve the efficacy of protective antibody production.
- Apart from preventative vaccines, future therapeutic vaccines along with current anti-HBV treatment strategies might enhance the rate of functional cures as indicated by the loss of HBsAg.
