FDA OKs 1st new gout treatment in 40 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first new treatment for gout in more than 40 years, a company said Saturday.

Takeda Inc. said Uloric, a once-daily drug, was approved by the FDA on Friday to fight gout, a painful joint disease that mainly strikes middle-aged men. About 5 million people in the U.S. suffer from gout, a form of arthritis caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood.

In healthy people, uric acid is dissolved in the blood and excreted from the body in urine. But high levels lead to the formation of needlelike crystals that become deposited in the joints, causing intense pain and swelling.