New Drug for Gout sufferers
Here’s an article from the FDA about a new drug for Gout…a common disease in Obese people…..
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Colcrys to treat acute flairs in patients with gout, a recurrent and painful form of arthritis, and patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), an inherited inflammatory disorder. The medication’s active ingredient is colchicine, a complex compound derived from the dried seeds of a plant known as the autumn crocus or meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale).
Colchicine has been used by healthcare practitioners for many years to treat gout but had not been approved by the FDA. The FDA has an initiative underway to bring unapproved, marketed products like colchicine under its regulatory framework. This initiative promotes the goal of assuring that all marketed drugs meet modern standards for safety, effectiveness, quality and labeling.
Physicians historically have given colchicine hourly for acute gout flares until the flare subsided or they had to stop treatment because the patient began experiencing gastrointestinal problems. A dosing study required as part of FDA approval demonstrated that one dose initially and a single additional dose after one hour was just as effective as continued hourly dosing for acute gout flares, but much less toxic. As a result, the drug is being approved for acute gout flares with the lower recommended dosing regimen.
The FDA is alerting healthcare professionals to this new dosing regimen and also warning about the potential for severe drug interactions when patients take colchicine.
The medicinal value of using colchicum was first identified in the first century A.D. and its use for treating acute gout dates back to 1810. Physicians have prescribed the medication since then. Although single-ingredient colchicine has not been approved by the FDA until now, a combination product containing colchicine and an agent that increased the excretion of uric acid in the urine was approved by the FDA in 1939.
FMF is the most common of the hereditary periodic fever syndromes and is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, arthritis and painful inflammation of the lining layers of the lungs and abdomen. Though rare in the United States, it is more common in Mediterranean countries. Physicians have prescribed colchicine for FMF for many years based on studies showing that it reduced the frequency of attacks but use of colchicine for FMF had never been approved. With this approval, Colcrys becomes the first drug approved to treat FMF.
Colcrys is manufactured by Mutual Pharmaceutical Company, Inc., Philadelphia.
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June 10th, 2010 at 5:24 am
Gouty arthritis without a doubt must be considered a really unpleasant disease, my nephew has been suffering from it for several years already. It is really nerve-racking to me, finding a loved family member experience a sudden gout attack very often. Using a good food plan for prophylaxis and making use of good treatment is in my opinion vital. I would personally suggest anybody who is presently noticing the first clues of gout to by any means be concerned. Better see a doctor as soon as you can and fine-tune your diet program to prevent the outbreak of the condition. It is definitely no fun, really. Search reasonable options for treatment and keep clear of purine rich foods, alcohol and so forth to take prophylactic measure.