AusDoc brings you the latest news from the American College of Rheumatology virtual congress 2020.

Patients with gout who are treated with febuxostat are at no more increased risk of cardiovascular events or death than those taking allopurinol, European researchers have reported.

The findings from the open label FAST (Febuxostat versus Allopurinol Streamlined Trial), which contrast with previous adverse findings against the urate-lowering drug, should reassure clinicians and patients about its safety profile, researchers say.

The study, presented at the ACR Convergence, the virtual congress of the American College of Rheumatologists and simultaneously published in the Lancet, was initiated at the behest of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to investigate the drug’s CV risk flagged by previous research.