Revaccination for Hepatitis B in Previous Nonresponders Following Hepatitis C Eradication

Background Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) do not respond to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination as efficiently as the general population. We assessed if revaccination after HCV treatment resulted in improved response.Methods Previous HBV vaccine nonresponders were prospectively recruited for revaccination after HCV eradication. Hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) testing was performed 1 month after series completion.Results Follow-up HBsAb testing was performed in 31 of 34 enrolled patients with 21 (67.7%) reactive results. There were no significant differences in HBsAb reactivity based on age, sex, race, or advanced fibrosis presence.Conclusions HBV vaccine nonresponders should be considered for revaccination following HCV cure. Patients with HCV who previously did not respond to HBV vaccine were revaccinated after HCV treatment with DAAs; 68% developed a proper response to the vaccine. Revaccination for HBV in previous nonresponders with HCV should be considered after HCV eradication.