WHAT ARE ULORIC’S SIDE EFFECTS?
The most common side effects are liver problems, nausea, gout flares, joint pain, and rash, according to the Johns Hopkings Arthritis Center, but a drug trial revealed that some patients had heart-related problems or stroke.
The primary result of a safety trial done with 6,000 gout patients treated with either febuxostat or allopurinol (an older gout drug) revealed a combination of heart-related death, non-deadly heart attack, non-deadly stroke, and a condition of inadequate blood supply to the heart requiring urgent surgery.
Claims have been made that the company altered, and falsified adverse event reports submitted to the FDA to lessen Uloric’s side effects to make it more competitive against allopurinol, an older and less expensive gout drug, and protect the new drug’s potential sales.
The FDA said of the “preliminary results” that “febuxostat did not increase the risk of these combined events compared to allopurinol. However, when the outcomes were evaluated separately, febuxostat showed an increased risk of heart-related deaths and death from all causes.”
If you are taking Uloric, get medical help right away if you have any of these very serious side effects:
- Weakness on one side of the body
- Sudden vision changes
- Confusion, chest/jaw/left arm pain
- Unusual sweating
- Signs of heart failure (such as swelling ankles/feet, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness).
HOW DOES ULORIC WORK?
Febuxostat or Uloric work by stopping the body from turning purines into uric acid. Uric acid comes from purines, which are chemicals substances from the body.
Purines also come from certain foods and drinks. Some types of meat and fish, as well as beer, are rich in purines and can raise the risk of gout in some people. Sugary soft drinks may also raise the risk.
WHAT IS GOUT?
Gout is a type of arthritis disease. It can be painful when uric acid levels get too high because the purines chemicals can form needlelike crystals that accumulate in the joints.
Gout attacks, in the early stages of the disease, can last several days and are excruciating, although experts say they occur only rarely. But over time, the frequency increases and patients can develop disfiguring and disabling lumps of the chalky white crystals, called tophi. They can turn to unsightly lumps in people with severe gout.
Doctors tend to only treat gout attacks. They use either pain relievers like naproxen, steroids or a crocus plant derivative called colchicine that has been used for centuries.
If harmed by Uloric, how to contact a lawyer?
You or someone you love may have suffered or been injured by Uloric. Then, you could consider getting a free case evaluation with the experienced lawyers of Greg Jones Law firm.
Our national law firm is experienced on drug cases. Having us on your side is important, especially with the resources and track record of personal injury cases we have against big pharmaceutical companies.
You can contact our firm online or call 855.566.3752 today to learn how to get started with a pharmaceutical drug lawsuit.