SmithKline Beecham Twinrix

Executive Summary

Immunogencity rates following administration of the combination hepatitis A/hepatitis B vaccine Twinrix were statistically equivalent to protection from separately administered hep A (Havrix) and hep B (Engerix B) vaccines, Phase III data presented at the 39th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Francisco indicate. The open-label study conducted at two centers evaluated 773 patients randomized to receive either three doses of Twinrix at 0, 1 and 6 months, or Havrix at 0 and 6 months and Engerix B at 0, 1 and 6 months. The combination vaccine "has the advantage of reducing the number of injections needed (3 vs. 5), increasing the convenience of administration and...compliance to vaccination schedules," SmithKline concluded. Twinrix, already approved in the U.K., is currently under review at FDA