MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brian LaMoreaux, M.D., M.S. Medical Director, Medical Affairs Horizon Therapeutics  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Pegloticase is a PEGylated biologic therapy for patients with uncontrolled gout who have not improved on or could not tolerate conventional urate-lowering therapies. All biologics have the ability to engender anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) and it is known that some patients given pegloticase develop ADAs that cause them to stop treatment prior to receiving a complete course of therapy. In other rheumatic autoimmune diseases, DMARDs such as methotrexate or azathioprine are used as standard of care to prevent the development of ADAs to biologics. These DMARDs often allow patients to remain on biologic therapies longer and receive the full therapeutic benefits while minimizing adverse events. While pegloticase has been used traditionally as monotherapy, recent case series have demonstrated the therapeutic benefit of immunomodulator co-administration, allowing more patients to receive a full course of pegloticase therapy. Little has been published on how widespread this practice is and whether it has changed over time. (more…)