Canakinumab in the Treatment of Acute Gout Flares and Prevention of New Flares in Patients Unable to Use Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and/or Colchicines Including a 12 Week Extension and a 1 Year Open-label Extension Study.
Canakinumab in the Treatment of Acute Gout Flares and Prevention of New Flares in Patients Unable to Use Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and/or Colchicines Including a 12 Week Extension and a 1 Year Open-label Extension Study.
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that canakinumab given upon acute gout flares
 relieves the signs and symptoms and prevents recurrence of gout flares in patients with
 frequent flares of gout for whom non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and/ or
 colchicine are contraindicated, not tolerated, or ineffective. The efficacy of canakinumab
 was compared to the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide.

 The purpose of the first 12 week extension study was to collect additional safety,
 tolerability and efficacy data in patients who have completed the core study CACZ885H2357.

 The purpose of the second one year open-label extension study was to confirm the long-term
 safety and tolerability of canakinumab in patients who had completed the first extension
 study.
Core Study:

 Inclusion criteria:

 -  Meeting the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1977 preliminary criteria for the
 classification of acute arthritis of primary gout

 -  Onset of current acute gout flare within 5 days prior to study entry

 -  Baseline pain intensity ≥ 50 mm on the 0-100 mm visual analog scale (VAS)

 -  History of ≥ 3 gout flares within the 12 months prior to study entry

 -  Contraindication, or intolerance, or lack of efficacy for non-steroidal
 anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and/or colchicine

 Exclusion criteria:

 -  Rheumatoid arthritis, evidence/suspicion of infectious/septic arthritis, or other
 acute inflammatory arthritis

 -  Presence of severe renal function impairment

 -  Use of specified pain relief medications or biologics (corticosteroids, narcotics,
 paracetamol/acetominophen, ibuprofen, colchicine, IL-blocker, and tumor necrosis
 factor inhibitor within specified periods prior to study entry

 -  Live vaccinations within 3 months prior to randomization

 -  Requirement for administration of antibiotics against latent tuberculosis (TB)

 -  Refractory heart failure (Stage D)

 -  Unstable cardiac arrhythmias or unstable symptomatic coronary ischemia

 -  Any active or recurrent bacterial, fungal, or viral infection

 Extension Study 1:

 Inclusion:

 - Completion of the Core study. A patient was defined as completing the core study if they
 completed the study up to and including visit 7.

 Exclusion:

 - Continuation in this extension study was considered inappropriate by the treating
 physician.

 Extension Study 2:

 Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Completion of the first extension study CACZ885H2357E1. A patient was defined as
 completing the first extension study if they completed the study up to and including
 Visit 10).

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -Continuation in this second extension study was considered inappropriate by the treating
 physician.

 Other protocol-defined inclusion-exclusion criteria applied to the core and extension
 studies.