Krystexxa
® (
pegloticase) is a prescription medication approved for the treatment of gout. It is given intravenously (by IV) once every two weeks.
Who Makes This Medication?
Krystexxa is made by Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Krystexxa works by lowering uric acid levels. This helps to treat gout, as this condition occurs when the levels of uric acid become so high that uric acid crystals form inside the joint. The medication lowers uric acid levels by causing a chemical reaction that converts uric acid into allantoin, a harmless substance that is excreted from the body in the urine.
Krystexxa works well for preventing gout attacks, but it is not very effective for treating a gout attack that is already occurring. In fact, sometimes it temporarily seems to make gout worse at first. For these reasons, Krystexxa is usually given along with other
gout medications, at least temporarily.
Studies have shown that Krystexxa lowers uric acid levels in the blood more effectively than a placebo (in this case, an IV fluid that does not contain any active ingredients).
For instance, one study looked at the percentage of people who were able to lower their uric acid levels to 6 mg/dL or lower. In this study, 47 percent of people who received Krystexxa every two weeks achieved this goal, compared to 0 percent of people who were given the placebo.
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