The Future of Gout Treatment: What’s on the Horizon? Featuring Jeff Peterson, M.D.
Jeff Peterson, M.D., stresses that proper education is the missing link in helping patients understand and control their gout.
By
Lana Pine
| Published on May 19, 2025
3 min read
To recognize Gout Awareness Day on May 22, we’re releasing the final three episodes of our gout series, Managing Uncontrolled Gout: Insights From Top Doctors, during the first half of the week. Each episode dives into key topics — from long-term treatment strategies to patient experiences and advocacy groups — aimed at shedding light on this often misunderstood condition. It’s our way of helping raise awareness, promote better care and empower people living with gout.
In episode 8, Jeff Peterson, M.D., a rheumatologist at Western Washington Medical Group, emphasized that the biggest challenge in managing gout isn’t the lack of effective treatments — it’s the widespread misunderstanding of the disease. He noted that many primary care providers treat gout as a condition that flares up occasionally rather than as a chronic disease that requires lifelong management. This approach often leaves patients unaware that they need ongoing medication, not just short-term relief during painful episodes.
Peterson also highlighted that genetics can complicate diagnosis and treatment. Some patients experience gout flares even with normal uric acid levels, which can mislead general practitioners. Research is underway to explore possible explanations, such as low joint lubrication contributing to crystal formation.
Encouragingly, new treatments are on the horizon. Peterson mentioned two upcoming drugs — one oral and one intravenous — that show promise for patients who have not responded to existing therapies. One of these drugs improves kidney function to better clear uric acid and may offer a more tolerable alternative to older medications.
He and his partner, John Botson, M.D., are also conducting research using a medication that blocks interleukin-1, a key driver of gout flares. Their study showed that administering this treatment before starting aggressive uric acid-lowering therapy eliminated flares in their trial group — from 70% down to 0%. Though not yet FDA approved, the results are promising and were recently presented at a major rheumatology conference in Europe.
Peterson stressed the life-changing benefits of proper treatment. Many patients who believed their joint stiffness was just the result of aging have found dramatic improvement with effective gout management, describing the sensation as “cement leaving their joints.”
Finally, he debunked common myths about gout being purely dietary. It’s primarily a genetic and metabolic condition, and diet alone can’t control it. With the right medication, however, most people can lead a normal life. For reliable information, he recommends patient-focused resources like CreakyJoints, the Gout Education Society and the Arthritis Foundation.
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