Longitudinal Study of a Human Drug-Induced Model of Autoantibody to Cytoplasmic Rods/Rings following HCV Therapy with Ribavirin and Interferon-α

Abstract

The exquisite association of anti-RR reactivity with combined interferon-α/ribavirin therapy in HCV patients represents a unique model for drug-induced autoantibody generation in humans as demonstrated by the fact that a significant fraction of patients who have anti-RR during therapy becomes anti-RR-negative after completion of therapy.