Footnotes

• Handling editor Iain McInnes

• Contributors JH contributed towards acquisition, analysis and interpretation of the data. ND contributed towards design of the study, and acquisition and interpretation of the data. GDG contributed towards design of the study and analysis and interpretation of the data. AG contributed towards design of the study and interpretation of the data. SS contributed towards design of the study, acquisition, analysis and interpretation of the data. All authors were involved in drafting of the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

• Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

• Competing interests ND has reported grants or personal fees from AstraZeneca, Horizon, Amgen, AbbVie, Pfizer and Janssen, outside of the submitted work. ND and SS work primarily in the field of gout research (a condition that was analysed in this research project). JH, GDG and AG declare no competing interests.

• Patient and public involvement statement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

• Patient consent for publication Not required.

• Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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