Scientists find a better way to treat gout
Gout is caused by the accumulation of urate crystals in the joints, and xanthine oxidase inhibitors such as febuxostat are a staple treatment to help lower blood urate levels in afflicted people. However, a new clinical trial reported in Arthritis & Rheumatology suggests that benzbromarone, a less popular medication, may be better in low dosages.
In the prospective single-center, open-labeled trial, 196 men with gout and poor uric acid excretion were randomized to receive either low-dose benzbromarone (LDBen) or low-dose febuxostat (LDFeb) for 12 weeks.
Compared to the LDFeb group, more individuals in the LDBen group met the blood urate objective of 6 mg/dL (32% vs 61%). There was no major difference in side effects across the groups.
“The results suggest that low dosing of benzbromarone may warrant stronger consideration as a safe and effective therapy to achieve serum urate target in gout,” the authors wrote.
