Use of il-23 and il-17 antagonists to treat autoimmune ocular inflammatory disease

Abstract

Novel methods and drug products for treating autoimmune ocular inflammatory disease are disclosed, which involve administration of agents that antagonize one or both of IL-17 and IL-23 activity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating a patient with an autoimmune ocular inflammatory disease (AOID), comprising administering to the patient an IL-17 antagonist, wherein the AOID is uveitis and the IL-17 antagonist is a monoclonal antibody or a monoclonal antibody fragment that binds to and inhibits the activity of IL-17. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patient has been diagnosed as having an ocular inflammation of putative autoimmune etiology. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a specified dose of the IL-17 antagonist is administered at a specified interval during a first treatment period. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first treatment period ends after disappearance of one or more symptoms of the AOID. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first treatment period ends within 30 days after disappearance of all symptoms of the AOID. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the dose of the IL-17 antagonist administered is gradually reduced during a second treatment period that begins upon the end of the first treatment period. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the duration of the second treatment period is at least one year. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising administering an IL-23 antagonist to the patient during the first treatment period, wherein the IL-23 antagonist is a monoclonal antibody or a monoclonal antibody fragment that binds to and inhibits the activity of IL-23p19. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a specified dose of the IL-23 antagonist is administered at a specified interval during the first treatment period. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first treatment period ends after disappearance of one or more symptoms of the AOID. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first treatment period ends within 30 days after disappearance of all symptoms of the AOID. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the dose of each of the IL-17 antagonist and the IL-23 antagonist is gradually reduced during a second treatment period that begins upon the end of the first treatment period. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the dose of the IL-17 antagonist is gradually reduced during a second treatment period that begins upon the end of the first treatment period, and wherein the dose of the IL-23 antagonist administered during the second treatment period is the same as the dose administered in the first treatment period, and wherein the second treatment period ends when therapy with the IL-17 antagonist is stopped. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the duration of the second treatment period is between one month and three months. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising administering the IL-23 antagonist during a third treatment period that begins upon the end of the second treatment period. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the duration of the third treatment period is between six months and twelve months. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the dose of the IL-23 antagonist is gradually reduced during the third treatment period. 
     
     
         18 . A method of prophylactically treating a patient who is diagnosed as being susceptible for an autoimmune ocular inflammatory disease (AOID), the method comprising administering to the patient an antagonist selected from the group consisting of an IL-23 antagonist, an IL-17 antagonist and an antagonist of both IL-17 and IL-23, wherein the AOID is uveitis and the antagonist is a monoclonal antibody or a monoclonal antibody fragment. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the susceptibility diagnosis is based on the patient having a previous incident of ocular inflammation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the susceptibility diagnosis is based on the patient having a systemic autoimmune disease. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the monoclonal antibody or monoclonal antibody fragment binds to and inhibits the activity of IL-23p19. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the monoclonal antibody or monoclonal antibody fragment binds to and inhibits the activity of IL-17. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a specified dose of the antagonist is administered at a specified interval during a first treatment period. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the duration of the first treatment period is between three months and two years. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the duration of the first treatment period is between six months and one year. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the dose of the antagonist is gradually reduced during a second treatment period that begins upon the end of the first treatment period. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the duration of the second treatment period is between one month and six months. 
     
     
         28 . A method of treating a patient for an autoimmune ocular inflammatory disease (AOID), comprising administering to the patient an IL-23 antagonist, wherein the AOID is uveitis and the IL-23 antagonist is a monoclonal antibody or a monoclonal antibody fragment that binds to and inhibits the activity of IL-23p19. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein a specified dose of the IL-23 antagonist is administered at a specified interval during a first treatment period. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the duration of the first treatment period is between three months and two years. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the duration of the first treatment period is between six months and one year. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the dose of the IL-23 antagonist is gradually reduced during a second treatment period that begins upon the end of the first treatment period.