If you take Uloric for gout, you could be at an increased risk of heart-related death.

Uloric (febuxostat) was shown to cause more heart-related deaths when compared to the competing gout medication allopurinol, which is sold under the brand names of Zyloprim and Aloprim.

Uloric came onto the market with much fanfare because it was the first new gout medicine approved by the FDA in 40 years. Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., a drug company with a subsidiary located near Chicago, makes Uloric, which was FDA-approved in 2009. Patients who take Uloric for gout, however, could suffer.

Uloric for Gout Lowers Blood’s Uric Acid Levels

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in the body. When this acid crystallizes, it settles into the joints where the uric acid crystals cause severe pain, swelling, and redness. The affected joint might also feel warmer than the rest of the body.

Uloric works by lowering the uric acid levels in the blood.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, four percent of the U.S. population has gout. Nearly six million men and two million women suffer from gout, and the arthritic condition can run in families. Gout is more prevalent among men than women until around the age of 60. Because more women are diagnosed with gout at this age and older, researchers believe estrogen is a natural protection against gout.

Patients with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease may be at increased risk of developing gout.

Other risk factors include:

• Taking certain diuretics for high blood pressure or immune-suppressing drugs for rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis can increase uric acid levels.
• Patients who have undergone an organ transplant might be on medications that raise uric acid levels.
• A diet of red meat and shellfish can increase the risk of gout.
• More than two liquor drinks or two beers a day or drinking fructose-sweetened sodas can cause gout.
• Gout is seen more often in patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery. Anyone who is obese is at an increased risk for gout, and they are apt to fight gout at a younger age.

On Nov. 15, 2017, the FDA issued two Drug Safety Communications for patients who take Uloric for gout. The FDA announced it would continue to evaluate the increased risk of heart-related deaths seen with Uloric. The other announcement indicated the FDA would continue evaluating deaths from all causes that were linked to Uloric.

Uloric for Gout Linked to Heart Ills

Takeda released the results of its own clinical trial that looked at more than 6,000 patients who took either allopurinol or Uloric for gout.

“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,” said the FDA.

Even though the preliminary results indicated that overall, Uloric didn’t increase the risk of the combined adverse events compared to allopurinol, Uloric did appear to show an increased risk of heart-related deaths and deaths from all causes when the outcomes were individually evaluated.

If you have taken Uloric for gout and experienced any heart-related side effects, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.