Researchers have discovered a new biologic drug that may help the most stubborn and debilitating cases of gout.
The gout drug news was released at the annual American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis-Related Healthcare Professionals Scientific Meeting.
Scientists at Duke University in Durham, N.C., have recently completed stage III clinical trials of a gout medication called pegloticase (Puricase) – a time-released protein that helps to break down excess levels of uric acid, a metabolic byproduct that, at high levels, forms crystals that deposit in the joints, causing pain, swelling and deformity.
If it is approved by federal regulators in the coming months, pegloticase, which is given by intravenous infusion, may help a small but significant group of people who have not yet had a way to control their gout.
“This patient group is one of the challenges that rheumatologists have faced for a long time,” said Dr. John Sundy, associate professor of medicine at Duke. “They are very severely affected.”
Dr. Sundy and his team randomly assigned 212 participants with “treatment failure” gout to one of three groups: a lower dose of the drug, a higher dose of the drug, or to a placebo. Neither the study volunteers nor their doctors knew if they were getting the new gout drug or the placebo.
People qualified for this study if they had a history of more than three gout flares in 18 months or if they had at least one joint deformed by the disease; if they had high levels of uric acid in their blood; and if they had failed standard drug treatment with the current “gold standard” gout medication, allopurinol.
About 40 percent of participants treated with pegloticase saw their blood levels of uric acid drop “within hours” of starting the gout drug, Dr. Sundy said. And that reduction in uric acid translated into significant improvements in physical functioning and a drop in the number of tender and deformed joints in the pegloticase groups as compared to the placebo group.
There was no significant difference in the number of gout flares, however, between the pegloticase groups and the placebo group.
The gout drug also had significant drawbacks, Dr. Sundy said.
Infusion reactions occurred in 26 percent of patients treated with the lower dose and in 40 percent of patients treated with the higher dose of the drug as compared to just 5 percent of participants who got the placebo. Slightly more than 1 in 4 study participants on pegloticase suffered from other serious adverse events as compared to just 1 in 10 of those who took the placebo.
Because of those significant side effects, Dr. Sundy stressed that if the new gout drug is approved in the coming months, pegloticase would likely be an option for only the worst gout cases.
New Drug May Help Stubborn Gout
By Brenda Goodman
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gill
23 Feb 2010, 15:01
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| hello my husband has suffered from gout for many years now the dr has prescibed so many tablets and none of them work would he be able to get this new intravenous drug from his local gp or does he need to be referred to a hospital consultant. also the gout stops him from doing daily things like taking his children to school and to the park which are both just 200 yards from our house |
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Irma
22 Jan 2010, 02:56
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| Can Gout be refered to as a disability? My husband has had gout for many years now and medications don't seem to work. He miss's alot of work because it gets to painful to go to work. He brother was let go from his work because of his absentences. Thank you |
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Jenine Ratliff
28 Dec 2009, 09:47
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| My husband has been treated for gout for over 7 years now. He has not responded to any of the medications so far. He has constant flareups in multiple areas, often at the same time. I am interested in learning about how people have responded to febuxosstat. |
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Arturo Vela
12 Dec 2009, 22:44
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| I am dibetc insuln 70/30 humulin 60u morn 60 u night Medformen 2 times 100 unets + Gout. I will give my Dr.the printout allso having hard time coping with neropity from meney years diabetes. Hope me Dr. can help I am 58 years old. |
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Freda Williams
29 Oct 2009, 13:37
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| The medicines I am taking now seem to be worse than the disease itself. I am interested in this new medication in Dr. Sundy's article. |
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Jacque Fitzgerald
26 Oct 2009, 14:11
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| My husband only has 1 kidney and has severe gout flare ups. He mainly gets it in his ankle one at a time, but sometimes it spreads to both ankles and knees simultaneously. Lately, he has had it very bad in his left big toe. He also has been getting large kidney stones every 4 years or so. He is only approaching his mid 30s, so this is a very big concern for me. I would be interested in any medication that could help ease the gout and pain associated with it without messing up his remaining kidney. Thanks. |
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Art Corey
30 Sep 2009, 14:24
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| I have had gout for forty years, Now it does not respond to indocin any more. I am using the generic for it,could that be the reason indocin does not work for me?jeremiad rodriguez |
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jerry woerner
29 Apr 2009, 21:22
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| A new drug has just been approved by the FDA which may help. It goes by the name febuxosstat or (Uloric). I go to a rheumatologist in Dallas who plans to begin treatment with this medicine May 5 after I had a reaction to allopurinol. I have tophi buildup in my fingers, wrists and elbows but have not had surgery. I was told by the rheumatologist that the allopurinol would wash this tophi out after about a year but I had a reaction after about 6 months and had to quit taking allopurinol.Febuxostat is also supposed to wash the crystals away. |
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Michelle Asher
07 Apr 2009, 11:55
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| My boyfriend has gout very badly. He has had it for about 20 years. He has crystals built up in all most every joint, fingers, knees, elbows ankles, etc. He has had a couple of surgerys to remove the gout in knee and elbows. It comes back but not as bad. We are interested in a medication that will help to dissolve the crystals and eventually lead to less pain. Thank you |
