New Gout Drug Twice as Effective
New Gout Drug Twice as Effective
Febuxostat More Effective at Reducing Uric Acid Levels Than Standard Gout Drug
Nov. 16, 2005 -- A new treatment for gout is at least twice as effective at lowering uric acid levels as the standard drug allopurinol, according to results from the longest and largest trial of such drugs ever conducted.
The drug, febuxostat, will likely be the first new agent available to treat gout in more than 40 years, says researcher Robert L. Wortmann, MD, professor and chairman of the department of rheumatology at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Exactly when the new drug will be approved is not known, but "personally I am optimistic," he says.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego.
Affecting more than 5 million Americans, gout is a chronic arthritic condition characterized by "flares" of intense pain, redness, inflammation, and warmth in the affected joint. Typically, symptoms begin in the big toe, but gout may strike other joints.
Gout is caused by an accumulation of uric acid crystals in the affected joint(s). As the disease progresses, these flares may become more frequent and patients may develop joint deformity and large deposits of crystals, which can become visible under the skin (called tophi).
Uric acid is found naturally in the body. In gout, there is generally a problem with either too much production of uric acid or problems in getting rid of the uric acid, or both.
"When you have gout, there's too much uric acid in the body," Wortmann explains to WebMD. "Uric acid is like matches, and for some reason, one of these matches strike and you get a hot foot."
"We treat the fire with anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine right away because if not, more matches will catch and the fire will get worse," he explains. Though "these medications can put out the fire, it doesn't get rid of the matches so they still can strike."
Enter febuxostat and allopurinol. And getting rid of these matches is what febuxostat appears to do more effectively than allopurinol, according to the new study.
New Gout Drug Twice as Effective
Febuxostat More Effective at Reducing Uric Acid Levels Than Standard Gout Drug
Nov. 16, 2005 -- A new treatment for gout is at least twice as effective at lowering uric acid levels as the standard drug allopurinol, according to results from the longest and largest trial of such drugs ever conducted.
The drug, febuxostat, will likely be the first new agent available to treat gout in more than 40 years, says researcher Robert L. Wortmann, MD, professor and chairman of the department of rheumatology at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Exactly when the new drug will be approved is not known, but "personally I am optimistic," he says.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego.
Lowering Uric Acid Is Key to Gout Control
Affecting more than 5 million Americans, gout is a chronic arthritic condition characterized by "flares" of intense pain, redness, inflammation, and warmth in the affected joint. Typically, symptoms begin in the big toe, but gout may strike other joints.
Gout is caused by an accumulation of uric acid crystals in the affected joint(s). As the disease progresses, these flares may become more frequent and patients may develop joint deformity and large deposits of crystals, which can become visible under the skin (called tophi).
Uric acid is found naturally in the body. In gout, there is generally a problem with either too much production of uric acid or problems in getting rid of the uric acid, or both.
"When you have gout, there's too much uric acid in the body," Wortmann explains to WebMD. "Uric acid is like matches, and for some reason, one of these matches strike and you get a hot foot."
"We treat the fire with anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine right away because if not, more matches will catch and the fire will get worse," he explains. Though "these medications can put out the fire, it doesn't get rid of the matches so they still can strike."
Enter febuxostat and allopurinol. And getting rid of these matches is what febuxostat appears to do more effectively than allopurinol, according to the new study.
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