Abacavir and Autoimmunity

        Recently FDA led team has discovered Autoimmunity caused by Abacavir in at-risk patients on ART.Abacavir acts on HLA B*5701 which helps the immune system to distinguish between the 'self' and the 'foreign' antigens. By acting on HLA B*5701 the body starts recognizing its own tissues as foreign and thus autoimmunity comes into picture. This discovery is a break through discovery  in the knowing, why certain drugs cause allergic reactions in certain patients.

Source: http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/pages/default.aspx
          
            http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm305067.htm