Patent ID: 8883133

Claim:
A method for preventing or decreasing gluten's deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal mucosa in a patient in need thereof, said method comprising administering to said patient a pharmaceutically effective amount of a synthetic polymer or copolymer, the synthetic polymer or copolymer comprising one or more of: (a) a copolymer of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 4-styrene sulfonic acid or a salt thereof; (b) a copolymer of HEMA and sulfopropyl methacrylate or a salt thereof; (c) a polymer of 4-styrene sulfonic acid or a salt thereof; and/or (d) a polymer of sulfopropyl methacrylate or a salt thereof, wherein said synthetic polymer or copolymer is able to bind to gluten, and/or bind to peptides derived from the degradation of gluten, in the gastrointestinal tract.