Febuxostat Linked to Higher Liver Toxicity Than Benzbromarone in Gout Patients: Study
Researchers have found in a recent study that febuxostat carries a significantly greater risk of liver function disturbances compared to benzbromarone in patients with gout. Despite common clinical hesitation to use benzbromarone, the findings suggest it may have lower hepatotoxicity than febuxostat.
The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the risk of hepatotoxicity associated with the use of febuxostat and benzbromarone in patients with gout. New users of febuxostat or benzbromarone with monitoring of liver function at least three times in a year after initiation of the study drugs were identified from an electronic medical record database.
Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed between the two groups 1:1 to match for age, sex, and pre-treatment alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the probability of hepatotoxicity (defined as ALT or AST >3x upper limit of normal). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox regression. Subgroup analysis was performed based on age, body mass index, and comorbidities.
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