Arhiv za farmaciju (Jan 2019)

Adjuvants in vaccines registered for human use

  • Filipić Brankica,
  • Stojić-Vukanić Zorica

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5937/arhfarm1906406F
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 69, no. 6
pp. 406 – 419

Abstract

Read online

Vaccination is one of the most efficient strategies for prevention of infection diseases, but with introduction of sub-unit vaccines with lower immunogenicity adjuvants were needed to enhance the immune response. The term adjuvant is from Latin verb adjuvare which means "to aid". Adjuvants have been used in vaccines for more than 90 years. The longest adjuvant history belongs to aluminium salts, but novel adjuvants have been introduced in licensed vaccines in last 30 years. These novel adjuvants are AS04, which consists of aluminium hydroxide and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist monophosphoryl lipid A and is used in hepatitis B vaccine Fendrix ® and HPV vaccine Cervarix ® , emulsion based adjuvants which are part of several influenza vaccines-MF59 (Fluad ® and Focetria ®) and AS03 (Pandemrix ®), AS01 liposomal adjuvant which is combination of two distinct immunostimulatory molecules and is component of herpes zoster and malaria vaccine and virosomes included in hepatits A vaccine (Epaxal ®) and influenza vaccines (Inflexal ® V and Invivac ®). Adjuvant development and better insight into their mechanism of action are of great importance in order to replace empirical with rational use of adjuvants, without affecting vaccine safety.

Keywords