Clinical results showed that ‘TMX-67’ (febuxostat), is excellent in lowering serum uric acids. A drug used in goutㆍhyperuricemia treatment, SK Chemicals (CEO, Hong Jiho) and SK Pharma (CEO Shin, Seung-gweon) contracted for exclusive domestic sales with Teijin Ltd. of Japan last July for exclusive domestic sales.
‘TMX-67’ will be on the market as soon as 2006.
Dr. Ralph Schumacher, professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine recently reported the above results during the American College of Rheumatology Meeting at San Antonio, Texas.
Prof. Schumacher’s team performed an experiment in which a total of 760 patients diagnosed with gout were administered either 80㎎ or 120㎎ of febuxostat, or a currently used anti-gout agent (allopurinol 300㎎).
The result showed that febuxostat-administered patients had continuously recorded lower than a 6㎎/㎗ serum uric acid concentration for 3 months longer than the allopurinol-administered group.
Also, it showed better drug tolerance than the allopurinol-administered group.
“The serum uric acid concentration was lower than 6㎎/㎗ in 53% of febuxostat 80㎎ group and 62% of the febuxostat 120㎎ group, while 21% of the allopurinol-administered group” said Prof. Schumacher.
In some patients, upper respiratory tract infectionsㆍdiarrheaㆍheadachesㆍmusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders were observed but not serious.
The causes of gout and hyperuricemia are generally divided into the ‘Over-producer’ from the overproduction of uric acid in the body and the ‘Less-excretor’ from the inappropriate excretion of uric acid.
However, the existing anti-gout agents were mostly developed more than 20 years ago and have shown adverse effects such as decreased liver function and hypersensitivity syndrome, and also have shown difficulties in active treatment due to limitations from the cause or health of patients.
On the other hand, the xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOD) ‘TMX-67’ for oral administration has a different structure from the existing anti-gout agent ‘allopurinol’ and shows excellent effects even in small doses. In particular, ‘TMX-67’ has been spotlighted in medical circles because it can be administered both in cases of the overproduction and reduced excretion of uric acid, and has also been evaluated as a drug that can fundamentally treat gout with a minimum of adverse effects.