Contribution to hepatitis B prevention.

Hepatitis B is widely recognized as an important public health problem. The only effective way to control hepatitis B is by vaccination. First generation plasma-derived hepatitis B vaccines have limitations. Advances in recombinant DNA technology have led to the development of yeast-derived recombinant hepatitis B vaccine which is now used extensively in the developed world. This article reviews the development of this new generation vaccine and the efforts to facilitate universal vaccination programmes particularly in the developing world. The issue of the cost of new generation vaccines, in relation to the major investment required for research and development and also the quality of the final product, is discussed.