Method of treating or preventing immune mediated disorders and pharmaceutical formulation for use therein

A method of treating or reducing the risk of developing an immune mediated disorder in a mammal, said immune mediated disorder being selected from the group consisting of multiple sclerosis;

• rheumatoid arthritis;
• and osteoarthritis, and said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an estrogenic component selected from the group consisting of a substance represented by
• in which formula R1, R2, R3, R4 independently are a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or an alkoxy group with 1-5 carbon atoms;
• each of R5, R6, R7 is a hydroxyl group;
• no more than 3 of R1, R2, R3, R4 are hydrogen atoms;
• precursors capable of liberating a substance according to the aforementioned formula, which precursors are derivatives of the estrogenic substances wherein the hydrogen atom of at least one of the hydroxyl groups has been substituted by an acyl radical of a hydrocarbon carboxylic, sulfonic acid or sulfamic acid of 1-25 carbon atoms;
• tetrahydrofuranyl;
• tetrahydropyranal;
• or a straight or branched chain glycosydic residue containing 1-20 glycosidic units per residue;
• and
• mixtures of one or more of the aforementioned substances and/or precursors.