Astrazeneca reports positive results from gout treatment tests

13th Aug 2014 09:07

Drug group Astrazeneca said it had achieved positive results in trials of a gout treatment.Astrazeneca said pivotal phase three clinical trials of lesinurad, a selective uric acid re-absorption inhibitor used to treat patients with symptomatic gout, had hit primary targets.The group said, however, that the tests showed side-effects including upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, back pain and arthralgia.A full assessment of the safety and tolerability findings of all the studies is ongoing.Astrazeneca's executive vice-president of global medicines development and chief medical officer, Briggs Morrison, said there was a significant unmet need to treat gout, which he described as a serious, chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease."We are encouraged by our initial review of the top-line results," he said. "These data indicate that combination therapy with lesinurad may be a potential treatment option for gout patients."Astrazeneca's shares fell 25p or 0.6% to 4104p at 08:33 in London.PW