An isolated human monoclonal antibody or antigen binding portion thereof comprising a heavy chain having an amino sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:28, and SEQ ID NO:32, or differs from any one of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:28, and SEQ ID NO:32, by having a conservative amino acid substitution, or differs from any one of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:28, and SEQ ID NO:32, by having a germline amino acid substitution compared to their respective germline sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:46;
- wherein said antibody binds specifically to human IL-6.