New agents for the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia: febuxostat, puricase, and beyond.

The rising prevalence of gout has led the pharmaceutical industry to rediscover what it had considered a forgotten disease. In April 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved febuxostat (Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Deerfield, IL), the first new urate-lowering gout drug in more than 40 years. In August 2009, the FDA approved colchicine for the treatment of acute gout. Several other pharmaceutical companies are also conducting clinical trials to test new drugs for acute and chronic gout. This article reviews new drugs and drugs in development in the management of acute and chronic gout.