Patent 8192741 was granted and assigned to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on June, 2012 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention provides methods of preventing or treating rheumatoid arthritis using a fully human antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specifically binds human interleukin-6 receptor (hIL-6R). The methods of the present invention may include administration of a second therapeutic agent, such as one or more of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), a glucocorticoid, a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), or a TNF-alpha antagonist, T-cell blocker, anti-CD20 antibody, an IL-1, JAK or IL-17 antagonist, or any combination thereof.