Treatment of osteoarthritis and pain

1. A method for treating osteoarthritis in an individual suffering from the osteoarthritis, the method comprising the step of administering to the individual:

a Dual Variable Domain Immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig) binding protein that binds both IL-1α and IL-1β,

thereby treating the osteoarthritis in the individual.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said binding protein that binds both IL-1α and IL-1β is formulated in a pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

3. The method according to 3 , wherein said binding protein that binds both IL-1α and IL-1β is crystallized.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said crystallized binding protein is formulated in a composition comprising an ingredient and a polymeric carrier.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises administering to the individual a second agent, wherein said second agent is one or more compounds in the group consisting of budenoside, epidermal growth factor, corticosteroids, cyclosporin, sulfasalazine, amino salicylates, 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine, metronidazole, lipoxygenase inhibitors, mesalamine, olsalazine, balsalazide, antioxidants, thromboxane inhibitors, IL-1 receptor antagonists, anti-IL-1β monoclonal antibodies, anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, elastase inhibitors, pyridinyl-imidazole compounds, antibodies of TNF, LT, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL-16, IL-18, IL-23, EMAP-II, GM-CSF, FGF, and PDGF, antibodies of CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD-19, CD25, CD28, CD30, CD40, CD45, CD69, CD90 or their ligands, methotrexate, cyclosporin, FK506, rapamycin, mycophenolate mofetil, leflunomide, NSAIDs, ibuprofen, corticosteroids, prednisolone, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, adenosine agonists, antithrombotic agents, complement inhibitors, adrenergic agents, IRAK, NIK, IKK, p38, MAP kinase inhibitors, IL-1β converting enzyme inhibitors, TNFα converting enzyme inhibitors, T-cell signalling inhibitors, metalloproteinase inhibitors, sulfasalazine, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurines, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, soluble cytokine receptors, soluble p55 TNF receptor, soluble p75 TNF receptor, sIL-1RI, sIL-1RII, sIL-6R, anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4, IL-10, IL-11, IL-13, and TGFβ.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said polymeric carrier is a polymer selected from one or more of the group consisting of: a poly (acrylic acid), a poly (cyanoacrylate), a poly (amino acid), a poly (anhydride), a poly (depsipeptide), a poly (ester), a poly (lactic acid), a poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA, a poly (b-hydroxybutryate), a poly (caprolactone), a poly (dioxanone); a poly (ethylene glycol), a poly ((hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide, a poly [(organo)phosphazene], a poly (ortho ester), a poly (vinyl alcohol), a poly (vinylpyrrolidone), a maleic anhydride-alkyl vinyl ether copolymer, a pluronic polyol, an albumin, an alginate, a cellulose and a cellulose derivative, a collagen, a fibrin, a gelatin, a hyaluronic acid, an oligosaccharide, a glycaminoglycan, a sulfated polysaccharide, a blend, and a copolymer thereof.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said ingredient, when present, is selected from the group consisting of albumin, sucrose, trehalose, lactitol, gelatin, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, methoxypolyethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the osteoarthritis comprises an osteoarthritis lesion.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the osteoarthritis comprises an injury to an anterior cruciate ligament.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein osteoarthritis comprises cartilage degeneration and expression of IL-6.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the cartilage degeneration comprises femoral cartilage degeneration or tibial cartilage degeneration.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein administering the binding protein produces an antinociceptive effect.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the binding protein further treats pain.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the pain is selected from the group consisting of allodynia, hyperalgesia, and a combination of allodynia and hyperalgesia.