Reducing Treatment Burden of Pegloticase for Uncontrolled Gout, with Orrin Troum, MD

Shortened, 1-hour infusion times of pegloticase (Krystexxa; Amgen) to reduce treatment burden in combination with methotrexate were well-tolerated with preserved efficacy in patients with uncontrolled gout.

Data from the phase 4 AGILE study evaluating shortened infusions of pegloticase were presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2024, held November 14-19 in Washington, DC.

HCPLive® spoke with the study’s lead investigator Orrin Troum, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and director, clinical rheumatology research, Providence St John's Hospital, Santa Monica, California, to learn more about why the AGILE study is important in reducing patient burden in treating uncontrolled gout.

“Pegloticase is currently approved to be given over a 2-hour period and this often has an impact… on [patients’] daily lives, if this is an every 2 week therapy for at least 6 to 12 months,” Troum said.

Troum went over the findings from the AGILE study, including being able to shorten infusion times in 68 of 100 participants with low rates of adverse events. He emphasized the improvement on treatment burden that shortening infusions can yield. He also touched on the importance of recognizing gout and uncontrolled gout and getting patients to the appropriate clinicians.

“[It’s important that] patients that have gout, that have uncontrolled gout get to the rheumatologist that has familiarity with using pegloticase. Krystexxa has been available for many years now, with the co-administration of methotrexate doubling the efficacy and reducing the infusion reactions, it’s impressive. But the patients need to get to the appropriate physicians,” Troum said.

REFERENCE

Troum O, Botson J, Fang F, et al. Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of Pegloticase Administered with a Shorter Infusion Duration in Subjects with Uncontrolled Gout Receiving Methotrexate: Primary Findings of the AGILE Open-label Trial. Presented at: Presented at: ACR Convergence 2024; November 14-19; Washington, DC. Abstract 2012.