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Patients with gout may benefit from arhalofenate
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Gout flares were significantly decreased in patients who received 800-mg arhalofenate compared with 300-mg allopurinol, according to recently published data.
Researchers studied data from 239 patients with gout who received at least one dose of study medication. Of the patients, 95.8% were male. Investigators found the mean baseline serum uric acid level was 9.1 mg/dL. Tophi was found in 20.1% of patients.
Patients were randomly assigned 2:2:2:2:1 to one of the following five treatment groups: 600-mg arhalofenate; 800-mg arhalofenate; 300-mg allopurinol; 300-mg allopurinol plus colchicine; or placebo for 12 weeks. Flares were reported by patients using a hand-held electronic device following training.
During the 12-week period, 32 patients discontinued participation in the study, with eight patients reporting a treatment-emergent adverse event.
A 41% decrease in flare activity was reported in the 800-mg arhalofenate treatment group compared with the allopurinol monotherapy group. Flare incidence in the patients who received allopurinol plus colchicine was 0.4, which was lower than the allopurinol monotherapy group but not statistically different from patients who received 800-mg arhalofenate. A 16% lower incidence of flares was found for the group of patients who received 600-mg arhalofenate compared to the 300-mg allopurinol monotherapy group. No flares were experienced by 65% of patients in the 800-mg arhalofenate group compared with 39% in the allopurinol monotherapy group.
The mean change in serum uric acid levels from baseline to week 12 was a decrease of 12.5% in the 600-mg arhalofenate group and 16.5% in the arhalofenate 800-mg group, while the reduction was 28.8% in the group that received allopurinol and 24.9% in patients who received allopurinol plus colchicine. However, a greater proportion of patients achieved serum uric acid levels of 6 mg/dL or less in the 600-mg and 800-mg arhalofenate groups. No serious adverse events were reported in the treatment groups. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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