Gout, an arthritic disease having hall mark of affecting the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, the joint of great toe to the foot; is very painful. Colchicine is the specific drug in acurte phase along with a NSAID such as naproxen. In long term allopurinol is used. The target is to get the urate (Uric acid ) level something below 6mg%. Now researcher say combining a newer drug febuxostat may give better result, though disease flares may not reduce.Another experimental monoclonal antibody, Canakinumab addition may decrease the flares; said the researchers.
 clipped from www.medpagetoday.comROME -- Gout patients treated with febuxostat (Uloric) at a dose of 80 mg or 120 mg daily saw greater declines in serum urate levels than those treated with allopurinol 300 mg, researchers said here. At the patients' final clinic visit, 75% of those treated with febuxostat 80 mg/day achieved urate-lowering to a goal of less than 6 mg/dl, but only 38% of patients taking allopurinol 300 mg/day achieved that goal (P<0.001), according to Michael Becker, MD, of the University of Chicago. When the researchers looked a further urate lowering, they found that 65% of those on the higher febuxostat dose achieved a serum urate level below 5 mg/day, as did 47% on the lower febuxostat dose and just 13% on allopurinol. The differences between both febuxostat treatment groups and the allopurinol group were again significant at P<0.001. Despite lower serum urate levels, no differences were observed between treatments for gout flares or reduction of tophi.
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