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Abstract
Twinrix® is the only licensed vaccine that provides dual protection against infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). The standard vaccination schedule for Twinrix is 0, 1 and 6 months. However, many high-risk populations, such as injecting drug users (IDUs), do not complete the vaccination series and, thus, do not acquire sufficient immunity against HAV and HBV. Twinrix can be administered using an accelerated vaccination schedule of 0, 7 and 21 days, with a booster recommended at 12 months. This manuscript reviews the available literature on vaccinating IDUs against HAV and HBV. The authors conclude that there is insufficient evidence regarding whether the accelerated Twinrix HAV/HBV vaccination schedule would yield a greater number of IDUs protected against both HAV and HBV.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grant number P30-AI-42853 from the National Institutes of Health, Center for AIDS Research (NIH/CFAR), by grant number TI15870 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), and was made possible in part through the support of a training grant number 5T32DA13911 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The authors also thank M Krysztofiak of Westat for her patience and support.