AstraZeneca reports positive data from gout therapy trial

AstraZeneca has announced positive top-line results from Light, its study of a promising new gout treatment called lesinurad.

The phase III trial assessed lesinurad as a monotherapy in the small population of gout patients who are intolerant to – or otherwise cannot take – allopurinol and/or febuxostat, two members of a class of therapies called xanthine oxidase inhibitors.

Data from the study revealed that a significantly higher proportion of patients experienced normalised uric acid excretion and reduced serum uric acid levels at six months, compared with those treated with placebo.

AstraZeneca is also awaiting results from three phase III studies investigating lesinurad as a combination therapy with xanthine oxidase inhibitors.

Briggs Morrison, executive vice-president for global medicines development and chief medical officer at AstraZeneca, said: "We believe that combination therapy, addressing both production and excretion of uric acid, may be an effective way to treat gout patients who do not achieve treatment goals on xanthine oxidase inhibitors alone."

Earlier this month, the company received European regulatory approval for a new indication for its vaccine Fluenz Tetra, allowing it to be used for the prevention of seasonal influenza in children.