RxTrials Institute Drug Pipeline Alert

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’s arcalyst reduced the incidence of gout flares in a Phase II study of gout patients initiating therapy with allopurinol to lower their uric acid levels.

In the 83-patient, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the mean number of flares per patient over the first 12 weeks was 0.79 with placebo and 0.15 with arcalyst, an 81 percent reduction. This was the primary endpoint of the study.

Gout is characterized by high blood levels of uric acid, which can form crystals in various joints. Chronic treatment with uric acid-lowering medicines, such as allopurinol, is prescribed to eliminate the uric acid crystals and prevent reformation, Regeneron said.