After a recent study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about the possible Uloric cardiovascular risk linked with the popular gout medication.

Background of Uloric

Uloric (also known by its generic name, febuxostat) is a gout medication brought into the market relatively recently, and has quickly risen in popularity. Uloric is manufactured by Takeda, a major pharmaceutical company based out of the Chicago area. The new drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009 as a new option for gout treatment.

Gout is a form of arthritis, leading to swelling, redness, and severe joint pain, and is associated with an excess of uric acid. Uloric works by reducing the amount of uric acid in the body. However, despite the rising popularity of Uloric, the medication has been linked with some serious side effects—including Uloric cardiovascular risk.

Uloric Cardiovascular Risk

Of course, any medication is expected to come with certain mild or rare side effects. Patients are supposed to be given adequate warning of these potential risks in the product information supplied by the drug’s manufacturer. However, some risks of Uloric may be far more severe than patients were warned about.

Recent studies, including a clinical safety trial from Takeda, have found that side effects of Uloric may include substantial Uloric cardiovascular risk, which can lead to cardiac arrest or even death.

Upon Uloric’s initical approval in 2009, the FDA required that Takeda undergo a clinical safety trial for the drug. The preliminary results of that trial, which involved more than 6,000 gout patients, have become available. According to the study, Uloric, when compared with the gout drug allopurinol, carries with it an increased Uloric cardiovascular risk of heart-related deaths like a heart attack.

“The primary outcome was a combination of heart-related death, non-deadly heart attack, non-deadly stroke, and a condition of inadequate blood supply to the heart requiring urgent surgery. The preliminary results show that overall, febuxostat did not increase the risk of these combined events compared to allopurinol. However, when the outcomes were evaluated separately, febuxostat showed an increased risk of heart-related deaths and death from all causes,” the FDA said in a statement following the release of these preliminary results.

As final results are still being analyzed but, in the meantime, the FDA notes that “[h]ealth care professionals should consider this safety information when deciding whether to prescribe or continue patients on febuxostat.”

Filing an Uloric Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered from a heart attack or other serious side effects of Uloric, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Uloric cardiovascular risk, or bring a loved one back to life, litigation may be able to help alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages. This investigation is looking for Uloric users in the Chicago area in particular.