862-P: Efficacy and Safety of Orlistat in People with Overweight/Obese and Hyperuricemia—Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objective: Obesity is associated with elevated serum uric acid (SUA) and frequent gout flares. Losing weight can lower SUA and reduce gout flares. In this study, we investigated the effects of orlistat on SUA and gout flares compared to placebo in people with overweight/obese and hyperuricemia (HUA).

Methods: A total of 72 Chinese people with overweight/obese and HUA were randomly divided into placebo group and orlistat group for 12 weeks. The primary endpoints were relative changes in SUA, as well as gout flares.

Results: All participants with overweight/obesity and HUA were randomly assigned to placebo group (35, 48.61%) and orlistat group (37, 51.39%). There were 26 (74.29%) and 29 (78.38%) participants with gout in the two groups, respectively. Orlistat was associated with a significantly lower proportion of people with gout flares (log-rank p = 0.023, hazard rate = 0.31, 95% CI 0.11-0.85). There was no significant change in SUA levels in both groups. The weight loss of participants in the orlistat group (2.85kg) was significantly higher than that in the placebo group (0.76kg).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates for the first time that orlistat has no direct effect on SUA levels in people with overweight/obese and HUA. The value of orlistat as an adjunct therapy to prevent gout flares during weight loss in people with HUA was emphasized.