Interleukin 6 - Role in Disease

Role in Disease

IL-6 is relevant to many diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, depression, Alzheimer's Disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, prostate cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Advanced/metastatic cancer patients have higher levels of IL-6 in their blood. Hence there is an interest in developing anti-IL-6 agents as therapy against many of these diseases. The first such is tocilizumab which has been approved for rheumatoid arthritis. Another, ALD518, is in clinical trials.

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