Lesinurad: First Global Approval.

Lesinurad (ZURAMPIC(®)) is an oral urate-anion exchanger transporter 1 (URAT1) inhibitor developed by Ardea Biosciences (a subsidiary of AstraZeneca) for the treatment of hyperuricaemia associated with gout. It reduces serum uric acid (sUA) levels by inhibiting the function of the transporter proteins (URAT1 and organic anion transporter 4) involved in uric acid reabsorption in the kidney. In December 2015, lesinurad was approved in the USA as combination therapy with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor for the treatment of hyperuricaemia associated with gout in patients who have not achieved sUA target levels with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor alone. Lesinurad has also received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for this indication and is in phase III development as a combination therapy in several other countries. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of lesinurad leading to this first approval for hyperuricaemia associated with gout.