Patent ID: 8900580

Claim:
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.