The following lines will be dedicated to the drug calledPegloticase. This drug has come through extensive trials and the Phase 3 in May 2008, but it is still not approved for the commercial use. The Adenuricis associated with the Febuxostat, which is the name used in the US, while itis Adenuric in the EU. The European Union has approved the use of thismedication, which is a very important drug for treating gout and maybe the mostimportant one in the past 40 years.
How Does It Work?
This new gout drug is very interesting due to the processused for its production. The level of uric acid is decreased if you use anydrug used for treating gout, but this is not the way Pegloticase works. Mostdrugs just hamper the production of this acid, or make it easy for elimination.But the uric acid can be more soluble and this will make the removal of theacid much easier, which can be done with the help of certain drugs. There areseveral ways by which this can be achieved and some of them are increased pHlevels and the intake of water. But as we have said, the Pegloticase works in adifferent way and we will see which. This drug creates a substance namedAllantonin from the uric acid. The conversion of the uric acid into the Allantonin can be doneamong animals but not humans, unless you use Pegloticase.
Trials and Difficulties
The trials conducted on this medication involved the mostserious cases of gout and the trials have proved that Pegloticase is successful intreating such cases. The results showed that, by taking 8mg of Pegloticase every two weeks for two months, gout attacks are experienced less frequently. The patients had to takethis drug in subsequent months and, after the period of treatment, they didnot have a single gout attack five months following the treatment. Everypatient involved in the trial has passed the Phase 3. Also, some other patientgroups suffered from a tophi reduction improvement and reduction of goutattacks. When we talk about the tophi reduction, it seemsthat the effects seem to depend on the time of usage of this drug. Some mayexperience the effects at the end of a phase 3, like 31% of people do, orduring the following times, or the extension trials. Another benefit that comesfrom the Pegloticase is the level of uric acid that will remain normal if youfollow a four week course, like the participants of the trial. During thetrials, 70% of participants responded to the treatment and had a normal uricacid level. According to this, the most serious cases can be controlled and thecomplications like hypertension and kidney stones, which can occur due to themedicines used in this purpose, will be avoided.
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