Gout patients who are prescribed Uloric (Febuxostat) are currently being warned that the medication could be one of many possible cardiac arrest causes, with the FDA recently releasing two public warnings on Nov. 15, 2017.

The warnings were issued after studies indicated Uloric may be one of many potential cardiac arrest causes, with researchers indicating the medication significantly increases the chances.

Common cardiac arrest causes range between severe stress levels to unhealthy dietary choices, but the recent studies suggest a correlation with the popular gout medication. Cardiac arrest is described as a sudden or expected loss of heart function due to electrical distances in the heart that interfere with the organ’s ability to pump blood throughout the body.

This condition typically stems from irregular electrical rhythms in the heart, but there are a number of conditions that can be attributed to cardiac arrest causes:

• Coronary Artery Disease: Most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in people over 35
• Cardiomyopathy: Condition in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged or thick, causing the muscle to weaken.
• Long QT Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome: These disorders are described as disturbances in the heart’s electrical beating pattern, which can cause arrhythmia.
• Marfan Syndrome: This is a genetic disorder, which can cause parts of the heart to stretch and weaken.
• Cardiac Birth Defects: Even if patients have had corrective surgery when they were young, they could still be at an increased risk for cardiac arrest.

Patients who have a family history of cardiac arrest or heart disease also face an increased risk. In addition, patients who are obese or suffer from diabetes are also at high risk and should consult their doctors if they experience chest pains or shortness of breath.

Overview of Uloric Cardiac Arrest Correlation

The most common of potential cardiac arrest causes is ventricular fibrillation, which is when rapid or erratic electrical impulses of the ventricles. It is important to note that other cardiac arrest causes in cases of healthy patients, typically stem from illegal drugs or some form of trauma in the chest.

Uloric may now be included in the list of cardiac arrest causes, with the two FDA warnings stating the agency is eventuating whether or not Uloric had an increased risk of cardiac death. The second study will be evaluating all deaths potentially linked to Uloric.

The FDA made these announcements after the drug’s manufacturer, the Chicago-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals had released the results of a recent clinical trial, which showed that Uloric patients faced an increased risk of cardiac death compared to allopurinol drugs.

The clinical trial reportedly consisted of over 6,000 gout patients who were either prescribed Uloric or allopurinol, which researchers observing potential side effects. Researchers noted that many Uloric patients reportedly suffered cardiac related deaths, non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal strokes, and cardiac ischemia requiring emergency surgery.

Uloric was approved by the FDA in 2009, but health officials were wary of the medication because pre-clinical trials indicated the drug may increase the chances of dangerous cardiac episodes. The FDA had required Takeda to perform an additional study to further evaluate Uloric, after it was released.