Abstract
The frequencies of anti-interferon-β (IFN-β) antibody development reported to date in patients treated with different IFN-β preparations are not readily comparable mainly because of differences in underlying diseases and assay methods. Thus, the frequency of neutralizing antibody (NAb) and binding antibody (BAb) development was analyzed in a sample of sera derived from a homogeneous group of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with different IFN-β preparations. The frequency of developing NAb and BAb to IFN-β varied according to the IFN-β given. Specifically, the NAb seroconversion frequency was significantly higher in patients treated with Betaferon, Schering AG, Berlin, Germany (31.3%) than in patients treated with both preparations of recombinant IFN-β1a (Rebif, Serono, Geneva, Switzerland [7.4%] or Avonex, Biogen, Cambridge, MA [6.3%]). Analysis of BAb seroconversion frequency in the same patients revealed that different IFN-β preparations may also have different capability to induce BAb development and that BAb are produced during IFN-β therapy at a significantly higher rate than NAb. Our main conclusion is that different human IFN-β preparations may possess different immunogenicities, leading to varying frequency of development of antibody to IFN-β in RRMS.
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