Investigational Gout Drug BCX4208 Performs Well in Phase 2b Trial

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., presented successful results of a Phase 2b trial of its investigational gout drug BCX4208 last month at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Chicago.

The trial included 279 gout patients whose serum uric acid (sUA) remained at or above 6 mg/dL despite treatment with allopurinol. The participants were divided into five treatment groups: BCX4208 at 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg, or placebo, administered orally once a day for 12 weeks. All participants received 300 mg of allopurinol per day as well. The mean baseline sUA was 6.9 mg/dL, and the trial’s primary end point was the portion of patients with sUA under 6 mg/dL at day 85.

Participants receiving the various doses of BCX4208 achieved this sUA goal at rates ranging from 33% to 49% compared with just 18% for those receiving placebo. According to the company, the frequency and types of adverse events were similar in those receiving BCX4208 and placebo.

BCX4208 is a novel enzyme inhibitor that acts upstream of xanthine oxidase in the purine metabolism pathway to reduce sUA in gout patients, allowing it to complement xanthine oxidase inhibitors such as allopurinol.