New Recombinant Hepatitis B Surface Antigen ad subtype for immunoassay development and manufacturing

Hepatitis B is a major global public health issue, marked by inflammation of the liver due to infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Disease can manifest as both acute and chronic hepatitis, and chronic infection can lead to serious complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer

According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 240 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide as of 2024. Each year, there are approximately 0.9. million new infections globally. In 2024, HBV infection led to about 1.1 million deaths, primarily from complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma^1-

Diagnosis of hepatitis B involves serological testing for various markers. The anti-Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (Anti-HBs) test specifically detects antibodies against the hepatitis B surface antigen in blood samples. A positive anti-HBs result confirms that an individual is immune to hepatitis B: this immunity could be due to prior vaccination or from having recovered from an earlier infection. 

Anti-HBs testing is routinely recommended as part of diagnostic panels to:

• Confirm immunity—either from vaccination or previous infection.
• Distinguish between susceptible, immune, and infected states when interpreted alongside other tests (such as HBsAg and anti-HBc).
• Guide booster vaccination decisions when antibody levels are low.

How Werfen can support you 

We can help to secure the supply chain of your Anti-HBs immunoassay with our recombinant Hepatitis B Surface Antigen ad  subtype

Contact us for further information on product availability and development stage

Check our technical note on our Recombinant HBsAg ad when used in a chemiluminescence prototype for the qualitative detection of antibodies to Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen (Anti-HBs in human serum).

1. ^

   Hepatitis B Fact Sheet. World Health Organization. July 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b Accessed September 2026

2. ^

   Hepatitis B Key Figures. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/chronic-viral-hepatitis Accessed September 2026