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Hepatitis B Vaccine
About Hepatitis B Vaccine
The hepatitis B vaccine was the first vaccine produced using recombinant DNA technology. Maurice Hilleman at Merck developed the vaccine. The original version, licensed in 1981, used purified surface antigen from infected blood. The recombinant version, licensed in 1986, was produced in yeast cells. Hepatitis B causes chronic liver disease and liver cancer. The vaccine was the first anti cancer vaccine. Taiwan implemented universal hepatitis B vaccination in 1984, dramatically reducing liver cancer rates. WHO policy supports a hepatitis B birth dose in all countries. Hundreds of millions of people live with chronic hepatitis B infection. The vaccine has prevented millions of deaths from liver cancer and cirrhosis. Countries with high vaccination coverage have seen hepatitis B prevalence fall dramatically among vaccinated generations.
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