Dynavax is kicking off May’s Hepatitis Awareness Month with a new push to improve education around hepatitis B and the benefits of vaccination.
The company—which makes hepatitis B vaccine Heplisav-B—unveiled a new website Thursday to share the results of a survey showing sizable deficits in American adults’ understanding of the infection, its risks and prevention methods.
The Hep B Aware site includes a downloadable info sheet featuring the survey’s results plus additional information about hepatitis B.
The survey, commissioned by Dynavax and conducted by the Harris Poll, reached more than 4,000 adults over two periods last fall and this spring. Among its results were the discovery that large swaths of people are unaware that anyone can be at risk for hepatitis B and that, in cases where the infection doesn’t clear on its own, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death.
Only about a third of the adults surveyed said they knew how hepatitis B is spread, which can include via shared household hygiene items.
Just over half of those surveyed said they weren’t concerned about getting hepatitis B. Chief among those respondents’ reasoning was a belief that they aren’t at risk, the fact that they haven’t experienced symptoms of the virus and a lack of information about it from their doctors.
On the prevention front, only about 20% of survey respondents knew that hepatitis B vaccines can prevent liver infections from the virus, while fewer than a third of the group were aware of the various dosing options for available vaccines.
Overall, the findings “underscore the need for further education about hepatitis B and information about how to prevent it,” Rob Janssen, M.D., Dynavax’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.
“As we recognize Hepatitis Awareness Month, these findings reinforce our commitment to collaborating with the healthcare community to educate Americans about the dangers of hepatitis B and its impact on public health,” he added.
In a continuation of its awareness-raising efforts, Dynavax will host a LinkedIn Live event at the end of this month, during which a panel of hepatitis B experts will talk through the survey’s results and strategies to improve education about the virus and its vaccines.
According to data cited by Dynavax, an estimated 130 million adults in the U.S. are currently unvaccinated for hepatitis B. In recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines to recommend that all eligible adults between the ages of 19 and 59, regardless of risk factors, be vaccinated, as well as anyone 60 and older with certain risk factors. Other adults aged 60 and older may also choose to be vaccinated.
When a CDC advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend the updated guidelines in late 2021, analysts suggested that Dynavax’s Heplisav-B would get a particular boost, because it requires only two doses administered a month apart. Competitors from GSK and Merck, meanwhile, call for three shots given over the course of six months.
Heplisav-B, which was approved in 2017, raked in revenues of $268 million last year, a 26% year-over-year increase. Dynavax said in its full-year earnings report that it expects sales to continue climbing upward, with a forecast between $305 million and $325 million for this year.
The hepatitis B shot is currently Dynavax’s only commercial-stage product, but it’s testing vaccines for shingles and plague—though it’s now facing a proxy fight from life sciences investment firm Deep Track Capital, which is pushing for the company to narrow its focus only to Heplisav.