Uloric has become one of the most widely used gout medications since its approval in 2009. Patients taking the popular gout medication, however, may face Uloric cardiovascular risk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to patients and the medical community about the Uloric cardiovascular risk linked with the drug. Patients taking Uloric who have suffered from cardiovascular problems as a result, such as a heart attack, may be able to file a lawsuit.

Background of Uloric

Uloric (febuxostat) was approved by the FDA as a new gout medication in 2009. Uloric is manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals in an effort to bring in a new option for gout treatment.

Essentially, gout is a form of arthritis. Patients suffering from gout may experience a number of symptoms, such as swelling, redness, and severe joint pain. Gout is associated with excess amounts of uric acid, so Uloric works to treat gout by reducing the amount of uric acid in the body.

Unfortunately, despite the widespread use of Uloric, the medication has been associated with serious side effects such as Uloric cardiovascular risk.

Uloric Cardiovascular Risk

Of course, any medication is expected to come with certain mild or rare side effects—but patients must be given adequate warning about these risks. However, patients may not have been adequately warned about the potentially life-threatening Uloric cardiovascular risk they face.

When Uloric was first approved, the FDA required that Uloric’s manufacturer, Takeda, undergo a clinical safety trial for the drug. The clinical safety trial, which involved more than 6,000 gout patients, found that patients taking Uloric face a significant risk for cardiovascular issues, which can lead to cardiac arrest or even death. 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.

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.