Long-term adherence and persistence with febuxostat among male patients with gout in a routine clinical setting

Objectives: To assess long-term adherence and persistence to febuxostat (FBX) and factors that might contribute to non-adherence and non-persistence to FBX in male patients with gout during a 3-year period. Methods: Adherence to FBX was assessed by the clinic nurses through pill counts at the scheduled visits and non-adherence was defined as less than 80% of the prescribed dose taken. Non-persistence was defined as discontinuation of FBX longer than 60 days. Results: A total of 220 patients were recruited. The percentage of adherence and persistence was 71.8% and 80.9% at 1 year, 65.5% and 68.2% at 2 years and 58.2% and 56.4% at 3 years, respectively. The logistic regression analysis identified high income status, current smoking, absence of hypertension and previous history of non-persistence with urate-lowering therapy (ULT) as the independent factors associated with non-adherence, and the unmarried, absence of hypertension and previous history of non-persistence with ULT as the independent factors associated with non-persistence. Conclusion: Variable risk factors that are correlated with poor adherence or persistence and easily assessed can be used to identify patients at a particular risk of poor adherence or persistence.