Patent ID: 7947648

Claim:
A method of treating asthma comprising administering to a subject in need thereof, a pharmaceutical composition containing a therapeutically effective amount of a mutant human IL-4 (hIL-4) protein comprising the amino acid sequence of wild-type hIL-4 with two modifications, wherein the first modification is replacement of the amino acids occurring in the wild-type hIL-4 protein at positions 121 and 124 with aspartic acid, and the second modification is at least one modification selected from the group consisting of: a) N-terminal methionine; b) deletion of up to five amino acids from the C-terminus; c) deletion of potential glycosylation sites therein; and d) coupling of the protein to a non-protein polymer, wherein the mutant hIL-4 protein is an antagonist of wild-type hIL-4, and wherein the composition is administered for a period of at least about 28 days via inhalation, thereby ameliorating the symptoms associated with asthma.