Benefit restrictions and gout treatment.

Background: Gout is a chronic rheumatic disease that can have serious sequelae, including persistent pain, nerve compression, joint destruction and deformities if left untreated. Febuxostat, initially introduced in the United States in 2009, was the first new treatment option for gout in over 40 years. With the introduction of a new drug into a therapeutic class that is composed of generically available options, utilization management will be a common strategy employed in an effort to contain cost; however, the effects of these strategies are not known for chronic gout treatment.