Takeda gout prescription now available

Takeda’s once-daily oral medication for gout is now available on prescription in some pharmacies.

Called Uloric (febuxostat), it is the first new treatment option for a condition known as hyperuricemia in patients who have suffered the illness for 40 years or more.

It is available in 40 and 80 mg tablets and, by blocking a certain enzyme, helps reduce and maintain uric acid levels. When quantities of this are too high, it can lead to the illness.

Excess levels of uric acid commonly form needle-like crystals that collect in joints and controlling these levels can help reduce the risk of gout.

The drug was studied and evaluated in multiple clinical trials for around five years and the largest phase III clinical trial of the treatment proved it was superior to its predecessors in treating the condition.

Last week, the pharmaceutical company announced that a fixed dose combination tablet of Blopress and a low-does diuretic for aiding hypertension would be available in some countries.

Takeda markets products to help patients with diabetes, insomnia, rheumatology and gastroenterology conditions.