Uloric has quickly become a popular gout medication since its approval almost a decade ago, but it has unfortunately been linked with major complications—including the risk of Uloric cardiac related death.

Uloric (also known by its generic name, febuxostat) is a gout medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009. Though it joined the market relatively recently, Uloric has quickly risen in popularity. Uloric is manufactured by Takeda, a major pharmaceutical company based out of the Chicago area.

Essentially, gout is a form of arthritis. Gout is associated with symptoms including swelling, redness, and severe joint pain, and is associated with uric acid. To treat gout, Uloric works to reduce the amount of uric acid in the body. Unfortunately, the medication has been linked with some serious side effects like cardiovascular risk, which for some may end in Uloric cardiac related death.

Uloric Cardiovascular Risk

Of course, any medication is expected to come with certain mild or rare side effects, but patients are given warning of these potential risks. However, some risks associated with Uloric may be far more severe than patients are warned about.

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

After a recent study, the U.S. FDA warned about the possible Uloric cardiovascular risk linked with the popular gout medication. In 2009, upon Uloric’s approval, the FDA required that Takeda undergo a clinical safety trial for the drug. Findings, according to the study, showed Uloric, when compared with the gout drug allopurinol, carries with it an increased risk of Uloric cardiac related death 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.

Filing a 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 side effects of Uloric, or bring a loved one back to life after Uloric cardiac related death, 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.