AT A GLANCE

A new study published in Rheumatology Therapy concludes that firsekibart outperforms etoricoxib for achieving target joint pain relief among patients experiencing frequent gout flares.¹

“Firsekibart, an anti-interleukin (IL)-1β monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated more sustained control of gout flares compared with compound betamethasone in previous clinical studies,” explain study authors Kong et al. “This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of firsekibart versus etoricoxib for the treatment of frequent gout flares.”

As part of a phase 2, randomized, open-label, active-controlled, multicenter study, the authors enrolled adult patients with gout experiencing frequent flares (≥2 flares within 12 months pre-screening) and randomized them (1:1) to receive either a single subcutaneous injection of firsekibart 200 mg or once-daily oral etoricoxib 120 mg. Treatment was administered until pain remission or treatment intolerance for up to 8 days. The primary endpoint of interest was the change from baseline in target joint pain intensity (0–100-mm visual analogue scale [VAS]) at 72 h post-treatment. Non-inferiority (margin: 10 mm) was assessed first, and superiority was subsequently evaluated if the former was acheived. Safety was also evaluated.

According to the authors, a total of 123 patients received either firsekibart (n = 61) or etoricoxib (n = 62). Ultimately, analysis revealed that firsekibart was non-inferior and superior to etoricoxib in encouraging a change from baseline in target joint pain VAS scores at 72 h post-treatment Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were documented in 77.0% (n = 47) and 51.6% (n = 32) of patients receiving firsekibart and etoricoxib, respectively.

“Compared to etoricoxib, firsekibart provides superior target joint pain relief and is well-tolerated in patients with frequent gout flares,” conclude the authors.

Reference

1.     Kong N, Xue Y, Mao L, et al. Efficacy and safety of firsekibart compared to etoricoxib for gout flares: a phase 2, multicenter, open-label, active-controlled, randomized non-inferiority trial (online ahead of print August 20, 2025). Rheumatol Ther.