Hepatitis B Vaccine Helps Prevent Liver Cancer

PHILADELPHIA—SmithKline Beecham has announced that labeling for Engerix-B (hepatitis B vaccine recombinant) now includes a statement recognizing the hepatitis B vaccine as “the first anti-cancer vaccine because it can prevent primary liver cancer. A clear link has been demonstrated between chronic hepatitis B infection and the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.”

The labeling reflects the fact that the FDA has recognized the CDC’s description of hepatitis B vaccines as preventing hepatitis B infections that can lead to primary liver cancer. In the United States, about 15% of the reported cases of primary liver cancer develop from chronic hepatitis B infections.