New Gout Drug Krystexxa Exceeds Target

There is increased hope for the roughly 3% of chronic, severe gout sufferers who do not respond to current gout medications. Within recent period III trials of the new gout medication Krystexxa, a great impressive 42% of refractory gout patients achieved statistically significant reductions in uric acid levels, as well as sustained them for six months. This exceeeded the target amount set for the study by the drug's manufacturer, Savient Pharmaceuticals. Compared, these gout patients in the trial that received a placebo saw no reduction in uric acid levels.

When you have seriously ill people who have no options, 40 percent will be pretty good," said Dr. Michael Becker from the University of Chicago," author of the most recent study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Gout can be a serious and disabling disease."

Krystexxa (generic name plegloticase) has been FDA approved in 2010 based on earlier clinical trials. The new gout medication, which is administered by intravenous infusion, is derived from an animal hormone. The pegloticase mechanism of action is different than that of other gout drugs - it converts uric acid to a nontoxic byproduct that is easily excreted in the urine.

High Levels of Uric Acid are the Cause of Gout, an Extremely Painful Form of Arthritis

The excess acid crystallizes into hook sharp debris in the joints, usually at the base of the big toe. The actual uric acid can also form knobby, chalky piles called tophi. Tophi can be reabsorbed back into the body if uric acid levels are reduced. Forty percent of the trial participants with tophi knowledgeable a resolution of one or more of the lumpy deposits.

Krystexxa Emerged Intravenously Over At Least Two Hours Every Two Weeks

The Fda has warned that patients should be given a corticosteroid and antihistamine before infusions because of a high risk of allergic reaction. Other common side effects of Krystexxa are gout flare ups (which occurred in 80% of the recent trial participants), nausea and vomiting, chest pain, constipation, nasal irritation and bruising at the injection site.

Treatment for gout best gout treatment that works Treatment for gout - best gout treatment that worksGout treatment entails a decrease in the proteins ingestion of a patient suffering from gout like disease. In order to decrease the occurrence of gout attacks doctors are continuously trying to...

Gout - toe full of tophi

Here is the result of my latest gout attack. I've been living chronically with this for just about 20 years and it sucks. Occasionally the tophi ( accumulation of uric ...

Krystexxa is not intended for use in the common gouty arthritis patient, most of which can be treated with more traditional gout medications such as Colcrys (generic colchicine) or Zyloprim (generic allopurinal). Currently, the new injectable gout drug costs about $5000 a month. It's hoped that gout patients who respond well in order to the treatment could at some point use cheaper gout medications.

Armed with these impressive new results, Savient Pharmaceuticals promises to amp up promotion of its new gout drug in the US and other countries. Up to now, their marketing efforts have largely been aimed at rheumatologists, but they now plan to expand their efforts to include primary care physicians. "This really today is the foundation for our launch of period 2 straight into the primary care audience," said Savient Chief Executive Officer John Johnson.

Johnson says the pharmaceutical company "expects to see a few acceleration in sales" as a result of their increased target market. The organization is said to be disappointed in the $1.4 thousand bucks in net sales the gout treatment generated in the first six months after receiving Fda approval.

Alex Ray Advocates for Affordable Access to Healthcare and Medication

She recommends Big Mountain Drugs as a reliable online Canadian pharmacy from which to buy colchicine as well as allopurinol for gout. For more information about gout and gout medication, visit the online resource www.colchicine.ca.

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