Cost-effectiveness of expanded hepatitis A vaccination among adults with diagnosed HIV, United States

Hepatitis A virus can cause severe and prolonged illness in persons with HIV (PWH). In July 2020, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) expanded its recommendation for hepatitis A vaccination to include all PWH aged & GE;1 year. We used a decision analytic model to estimate the value of vaccinating a cohort of adult PWH aged & GE;20 years with diagnosed HIV in the United States using a limited societal perspective. The model compared 3 scenarios over an analytic horizon of 1 year: no vaccination, current vaccine coverage, and full vaccination. We incorporated the direct medical costs and nonmedical costs (i.e., public health costs and productivity loss). We estimated the total number of infections averted, cost to vaccinate, and incremental cost per case averted. Full implementation of the ACIP recommendation resulted in 775 to 812 fewer adult cases of hepatitis A in 1 year compared with the observed vaccination coverage. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the full vaccination scenario was $48,000 for the 2-dose single-antigen hepatitis A vaccine and $130,000 for the 3-dose combination hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine per case averted, compared with the observed vaccination scenario. Depending on type of vaccine, full hepatitis A vaccination of PWH could lead to & GE;80% reduction in the number of cases and $48,000 to $130,000 in additional cost per case averted. Data on hepatitis A health outcomes and costs specific to PWH are needed to better understand the longer-term costs and benefits of the 2020 ACIP recommendation.

Automated summary

The study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis A vaccination in persons with HIV (PWH) in the United States. Full implementation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation leads to a significant reduction in hepatitis A cases among PWH. The cost per case averted depends on the type of vaccine used, ranging from $48,000 to $130,000.