A go-to treatment for gout patients with refractory disease is pegloticase, a drug that is typically accompanied by methotrexate to reduce the liklihood of the patient developing antibodies to the treatment.

At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, rheumatologist Adenrele Olajide, M.D., is embarking on a study to examine a potential alternative to methotrexate that does not have the cancer drug's known side effects. That alternative, leflunomide, is an immunogenic uricase.

"Leflunomide is effective in tempering drug side effects in a variety of rheumatologic conditions," Olaijide said.

"It is worth formally investigating whether leflunomide can be repurposed for gout therapy."