Patent ID: 7141558

Claim:
A method of treating a disease characterized by an imbalance in the immune system, said disease selected from the group consisting of multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, transplant rejection, lupus, and atherosclerosis, comprising administering to a patient with said disease an effective amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of 19-nor-2α-ethyl-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-2β-ethyl-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-20(S)-2α-ethyl-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-20(S)-2β-ethyl-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-2(E)-ethylidene-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-2(Z)-ethylidene-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , 19-nor-2(E)-ethylidene-20(S)-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , and 19-nor-2(Z)-ethylidene-20(S)-1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 .