Interferon-antibodies and the breakthrough phenomenon during ribavirin/interferon-alpha combination therapy and interferon-alpha monotherapy of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Abstract

The addition of ribavirin to IFN-alpha does not influence the formation of IFN-antibodies. The development of high-titer IFN-antibodies during IFN-alpha or ribavirin/IFN-alpha therapy of patients with chronic hepatitis C may account for the early occurrence of breakthrough in some patients, while other mechanisms seem to be responsible for this phenomenon in the majority of the afflicted patients.