AstraZeneca gets European approval for Zurampic and Brilique

It has been approved in combination with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI) to treat hyperuricemia in adult gout patients who have not achieved target serum uric acid levels with an adequate dose of an XOI alone.

Sean Bohen, executive vice president of Global Medicines Development and chief medical officer at AstraZeneca, said: "There has been limited therapy innovation in gout over the last 50 years.

“With the approval of Zurampic, we are pleased to offer a new treatment option for the many patients who are suffering from the effects of gout and who are not reaching the recommended serum uric acid treatment targets with the current standard of care."

The pharmaceuticals giant also said on Wednesday that the EC has granted marketing authorisation for its Brilique drug at a new 60mg dose for the treatment of patients who have suffered a heart attack at least one year prior and are at high risk of developing a further atherothrombotic event.

Bohen said: “A growing body of evidence continues to show that the risk of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular event continues beyond the first year after a patient has a heart attack. We are committed to finding new treatment solutions for these patients who remain at risk, and today's approval is an important step forward in meeting this need."

Brilique is an oral antiplatelet treatment that works by inhibiting platelet activation, while Zurampic is a selective uric acid reabsorption inhibitor that inhibits the urate transporter responsible for the majority of the renal reabsorption of uric acid.