Gout drug Uloric, made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, has been associated with severe Uloric cardiac side effects, including heart-related deaths.

Treatment for gout often includes medication, such as Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ drug Uloric. However, Uloric has been associated with severe Uloric cardiac side effects including non-deadly heart attacks, non-deadly strokes and cardiac ischemia.

What is Gout?

Gout is an inflammatory condition during which uric acid in the body crystalizes and settles in the joints. Gout, caused by hyperuricemia or elevated blood uric acid levels, may result from a diet high in purines, genetics, obesity, some medications and chronic kidney problems.

When a person has a diet high in purines, the body produces uric acid as a byproduct of breaking down the purines. Purines are found in fish including seafood and shellfish, including anchovies, sardines, mackerel, scallops, herring, mussels, codfish, trout, and haddock, and in meats like bacon, turkey and liver. Alcohol also contains purines. Gout is often associated with a rich lifestyle of consuming alcohol and meat.

Gout is painful and is accompanied by swollen joints, joint redness and pain and warmth in the joints. According to medicinenet.com, “The affected joint is often very sensitive to touch to the point that some people with gout attacks experience pain from something as simple as pulling the bedsheets over the inflamed joint.”

Uloric Cardiac Side Effects

Uloric, generically known as febuxostat, is a drug made by Chicago area pharmaceutical company Takeda. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009.

Originally, the clinical trials indicated an increase in the rate of heart-related deaths, heart attacks and strokes. These Uloric cardiac side effects are listed on the warning label. However, because of this, the FDA ordered Takeda Pharmaceuticals to conduct more research looking into Uloric cardiac side effects.

This newer Uloric cardiac side effects study looked at both Uloric and allopurinol (another gout drug sold under the name Aloprim) side by side. Reported in a safety communication by the FDA, the study included about 6,000 gout patients.

The FDA noted, “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, the FDA noted that when incidents of heart-related deaths were assessed, there was an increased risk of heart-related deaths and death from all causes as a result of Uloric cardiac side effects.

The FDA suggests that patients should speak with their healthcare professional if they believe they are suffering from Uloric cardiac side effects as a result of their gout medication. They also encourage patients not to stop a drug they are currently taking without speaking to their doctor.

If you or someone you love has taken Uloric and has suffered from Uloric cardiac side effects, you may benefit from speaking with an experienced attorney to help you determine your legal path.