Methods of treating or diagnosing conditions associated with elevated IL-6 using anti-IL-6 antibodies or fragments

摘要

The invention relates to the use of anti-IL-6 antibodies or antibody fragments containing a specific epitopic specificity to treat conditions involving elevated Il-6. In some embodiments the anti-IL-6 antibodies contain specific CDRs.

主权项

1. A method of treating a disease or condition associated with elevated human interleukin-6 (IL-6), comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-IL-6 antibody or antibody fragment to a subject in need thereof, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment comprises:
a variable light chain polypeptide comprising the CDRs of SEQ ID NOs:4, 5 and 6 and possessing at least 90% identity to the variable light chain polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:709, and a variable heavy chain polypeptide comprising the CDRs of SEQ ID NOs:7, 8 or 120, and 9 and possessing at least 90% identity to the variable heavy chain polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:657, and; wherein the antibody or antibody fragment specifically binds to IL-6 and antagonizes one or more activities associated with IL-6 and specifically binds to the same epitope(s) on IL-6 as an anti-IL-6 antibody comprising the variable light chain polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:709 and the variable heavy chain polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:657.