The Food and Drug Administration approved febuxostat, made by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., the first new gout treatment in 40 years. The drug, to be marketed as Uloric, lowers the level of uric acid in the blood of patients who suffer from gout.

 

High levels of uric acid cause painful crystals that are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues.

Febuxostat is defined as a new highly potent non-purine selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, and has a completely different structure from the currently used xanthine oxidase inhibitor, which was developed over 40 years ago, according to a statement from the drug maker.

Febuxostat was discovered by Teijin Pharma, a Japanese company.

 

“The approval of ULORIC offers patients and healthcare providers in the US for the first time in 40 years, a novel treatment option for patients who have hyperuricemia with gout, where there are still unmet clinical needs,” President of the Takeda parent company in Japan, was quoted as saying.

Takeda, together with its partner Abbott Laboratories submitted the drug for approval in December 2004.

 

Gout, also called metabolic arthritis, a disease characterized by excruciating, unexpected, burning pain redness and stiffness in the affected joint, affects approximately 1 in 40 people worldwide. An estimated 2 million to 3 million in the U.S. have the condition.

People who have had an organ transplant have a higher risk to develop gout. The condition most often affects men, especially those ages 40 to 50.