Immunogenicity and persistence of high-dose recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus in China: A randomized, double-blind, parallel controlled trial

Objectives: To explore the immunogenicity and persistence of the 60 µg hepatitis B vaccine in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled trial for adults infected with HIV. A total of 182 patients were randomly allocated to receive 20 µg (IM20 group) or 60 µg (IM60 group) of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine at months 0, 1, and 6 to assess the immunogenicity and were followed-up from month 7 to 42 to assess long-term immunogenicity.

Results: Our data showed that the response rate and geometric mean concentration (GMC) of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) in the IM60 group at month 7 were higher than those in the IM20 group (P > 0.05). The GMC of anti-HBs among the two groups decreased rapidly during the follow-up period (P > 0.05). Survival analysis showed that 25% of patients with anti-HBs ≥ 10 mIU/mL were 20 months in the IM60 group and 9.3 months in the IM20 group.

Conclusion: The three-dose 60 µg hepatitis B vaccine showed partially better immunogenicity and persistence than the three-dose 20 µg vaccine.

Trial registration: The trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03316807.