FDA approves Zurampic for treatment of gout.
+ Technology/Innovation
Jamie Barrand | Dec 24, 2015

FDA approves Zurampic for treatment of gout

Patients living with gout have a new option for treatment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of Zurampic (lesinurad).

Gout is a form of arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the body that typically first presents as soreness and swelling in the big toe.

Zurampic has been approved for use in combination with xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOI). Together, the therapies decrease the amount of uric acid the body produces.

Uric acid build-up in the tissues of the blood is a condition called hyperuricemia. Gout occurs when the kidneys do not filter out enough uric acid and the acid forms crystals. Zurampic helps the kidneys dispel uric acid by blocking transporter proteins.

"Controlling hyperuricemia is critical to the long-term treatment of gout," Dr. Badrul Chowdhury, director of the FDA’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Rheumatology Products, said. "Zurampic provides a new treatment option for the millions of people who may develop gout over their lifetimes."

Zurampic's effectiveness and safety were tested in three separate, randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving 1,537 patients for up to a year.

Zurampic is a product of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

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