Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to take your tablets. It contains important information about your tablets.

Anturan contains a substance called sulphinpyrazone and is used to treat gout. The tablets are available in two strengths containing 100mg or 200mg of sulphinpyrazone.

They also contain the following inactive ingredients: Maize starch, lactose, silicon dioxide, gelatin, sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate, sucrose, talc, povidone, polyethylene glycol, cellulose, titanium dioxide, yellow iron oxide.

The 100mg tablets come in containers of 100 tablets.

The 200mg tablets come in blister packs containing 84 tablets.

Made by Ciba Pharmaceuticals, Horsham, West Sussex.

Product Licence Holder: Ciba-Geigy plc, Hulley Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Anturan is used to treat gout. Gout is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. This medicine works by removing the extra uric acid from the body. It does not cure gout but may help to prevent gout attacks. Your doctor may also prescribe Anturan for other conditions caused by too much uric acid in the blood.

• Have you ever developed a rash, wheezing or other possible allergy to sulphinpyrazone or phenylbutazone (Butazolidin or Butacote)?
• Have you ever developed a rash, wheezing or other possible allergy to aspirin or any other painkillers?
• Do you suffer from any serious liver, kidney or blood disease?
• Do you have or have you ever had a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer?
• Are you presently taking aspirin?
• Do you suffer from any serious heart disease?
• Are you pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breast feeding?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, do not take the tablets without talking to your doctor again.

Are you taking any of the following

• anticoagulants (blood thinning tablets like wafarin)?
• antidiabetic tablets?
• antibiotics?
• theophylline?
• phenytoin?
• any other medicines which your doctor does not know about?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

• Whilst you are taking Anturan, your doctor will want to give you regular check-ups. This is quite usual and nothing to worry about.
• Anturan will not relieve a gout attack which has already started, so do not take it for the first time during an attack of gout.
• Do not take aspirin whilst you are taking Anturan.
• Drink plenty of fluids when you start taking Anturan. This will help the medicine to work.
• These tablets also contain lactose, gelatin and sugar and may be unsuitable for some people.
• Anturan is not suitable for children.

It is important to take your tablets at the right times. You must take them as instructed by your doctor. Read the label on your tablets carefully; it will tell you when to take them.

• The usual starting dose is 100-200mg daily. It may be increased by your doctor as necessary.
• If you are not sure how many tablets to take, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• Swallow the tablets with a drink of water or milk. It is best to take Anturan with or after food.
• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Then go on as before. Do not take a double dose.
• If you accidentally take too many Anturan tablets, tell your doctor at once or contact your nearest hospital casualty department.

These tablets sometimes cause unwanted effects in some people. The following effects are very rare but if you get any of them, stop taking the tablets and tell your doctor as soon as possible.

• Skin rash or itching or any unexpected bruising.
• Persistent sore throat or high temperature.
• Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes.
• Vomiting blood or passing black stools.
• Swelling of your feet or lower legs.
• Wheezing or breathlessness.

You may also get a mild stomach upset (for example feeling or being sick) especially when you first start to take Anturan. Taking the tablets with food or a drink of milk should help to lessen this problem. If your stomach upset is severe or lasts for more than a few days, tell your doctor. Also, if your tablets upset you in any other way, tell your doctor.

• The expiry date for these tablets is given on the pack. Do not take the tablets after this date.
• Keep your tablets in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children. Return any unused tablets to your pharmacist.

REMEMBER: this medicine is for you. Only a doctor can prescribe it for you. Never give it to someone else. It may harm them even if they have the same symptoms as you.

The information in this leaflet applies only to Anturan. This leaflet does not contain the complete information about your tablets. If you have any questions or are not sure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Date: July 1993 Copyright Ciba-Geigy plc