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Drug Could Help Get Gout Out
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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug called febuxostat may speed relief for those suffering from gout, researchers report. Gout is a painful arthritic condition affecting the joints, most often the toes and feet. It''s caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood and affects more than 5 million Americans, usually men. Febuxostat may be more effective at lowering levels of serum uric acid in people with gout than the drug allopurinol and placebo, according to a U.S. study to be presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego. This study compared different doses of febuxostat to treatment with placebo and allopurinol, a current standard gout treatment. Some patients received daily doses of 80mg, 120mg or 240 mg of febuxostat over 28 weeks. Their results were compared to patients receiving either 100mg or 300 mg of allopurinol and patients receiving a placebo. By their last three monthly visits, 69 percent of patients taking 240 mg/day of febuxostat had uric acid levels less than 6 mg/dL, compared with 65 percent of those taking 120 mg/day, 48 percent of those taking 80 mg/day, 22 percent of patients taking allopurinol and zero percent of those taking the placebo. All the groups had similar adverse events such as headache, digestive disturbances and liver abnormalities. Of the 34 serious adverse events experienced by patients in the study, most were cardiac disorders among patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. "The study is very encouraging because it shows that febuxostat was superior at lowering serum uric acid levels compared to allopurinol, the current standard of treatment," lead researcher Dr. Robert Wortmann, professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma, said in a prepared statement. Similar findings about febuxostat''s effectiveness in lowering serum acid levels in gout patients were outlined in a study presented at the ACR meeting last year. More information The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about gout.
Last Updated: Nov. 16, 2005 |