Patent ID: 8524660

Claim:
A method of treating a patient having an interferon-susceptible viral infection, comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of a composition having the structure according to the formula wherein E is hydrogen, a straight- or branched-chain C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, or a detectable label; a is an integer from 4 to 10,000; each Z and Z′ is independently hydrogen, a straight- or branched-chain, saturated or unsaturated C 1 to C 20 alkyl or heteroalkyl group, C 3 to C 8 saturated or unsaturated cyclic alkyl or cyclic heteroalkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group or a substituted or unsubstituted alkaryl wherein the alkyl is a C 1 to C 20 saturated or unsaturated alkyl or heteroalkaryl group, wherein in the substituted groups the substitution is selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxylate, ester, formyl, acyl, thiocarbonyl, thioester, thioacetate, thioformate, alkoxyl, phosphoryl, phosphonate, phosphinate, amino, amido, amidine, imine, cyano, nitro, azido, sulfhydryl, sulfate, sulfonate, sulfamoyl, sulfonamido, sulfonyl, heterocyclyl, aralkyl, an aromatic moiety, a heteroaromatic moiety, imino, silyl, ether, and alkylthio, provided that at least one Z or Z′ is not hydrogen; R* is a linking moiety formed from the reaction of a moiety selected from the group consisting of aldehyde, aldehyde hydrate, and acetal, with B, wherein B is a biologically-active molecule or precursor thereof that comprises interferon-beta-1a (IFN-β-1a); each n is 0 or an integer from 1 to 5; and p is 1, 2, or 3.