Administration of agents for the treatment of inflammation

Abstract

A method of chronically reducing a patient's pathological inflammation via the administration of an agent that specifically binds to an alpha-4 integrin or a dimer comprising an alpha-4 integrin is disclosed. The agent provided must have a binding affinity such that administration is sufficient to suppress pathological inflammation, and the agent is administered chronically to provide long-term suppression of pathological inflammation.

1 . A method of chronically reducing pathological inflammation in a patient in need thereof comprising chronically administering an agent to the patient that inhibits alpha-4 integrin or inhibits a dimer comprising alpha-4 integrin in a therapeutically effective amount and wherein the pathological inflammation is caused by an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. 
     
     
         2 .- 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the agent is administered repeatedly in a manner to bind to alpha-4 integrin or a dimer comprising alpha-4 integrin, and wherein the administration maintains alpha-4 integrin receptor saturation at a level sufficient to chronically suppress pathological inflammation in the patient. 
     
     
         5 .- 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the agent is administered in amount sufficient to saturate at least one alpha-4 integrin dimer receptor thereby inhibiting pathological inflammation. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the dimers receptors are alpha-4 beta-1 or alpha-4 beta-7. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract is Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract is Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or inflammatory bowel disease. 
     
     
         18 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pathological inflammation is an inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract and comprises chronically administering a therapeutically effective dose of natalizumab or an immunologically active fragment thereof to a patient in need thereof sufficient to treat or ameliorate the inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract in the patient. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the disease of the gastrointestinal tract is inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein natalizumab is administered by infusion every four weeks for at least 6 months in an amount of about 1 mg/kg patient to about 20 mg/kg patient. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the infusions are administered for at least 12 months. 
     
     
         27 .- 42 . (canceled)