One evening out at a restaurant with family, Carlos tried to get up and couldn’t physically move. He felt excruciating pain in his joints, and his family had to call an ambulance to get him wheeled out of the restaurant.

The next day, Carlos’ doctors ran tests and found that his uric acid levels were incredibly high. As a result, they diagnosed him with Gout, a type of arthritis that causes the joints to painfully swell. He explained, “I was sad, I didn’t know what my life was going to be, and I thought I would be in pain all the time.”

Carlos immediately began a treatment regimen for his liver and overall body pain. As he works at an apartment complex that requires a lot of manual labor, he wanted to ensure his condition would not prevent him from providing for his family.

Recently, Carlos was approved for a clinical trial where his specialist injects him with a fluid that will flush the crystals from his joins to help ease his pain and prevent new formations. He has reacted well to the trial and his uric acid levels have come significantly down.

Carlos hopes that he will soon not have any worries about his Gout symptoms and a cure for his condition will be found.

Stories like Carlos’ will only continue to be possible if lawmakers support policies that encourage biopharmaceutical innovation and access. To learn more about Carlos, click here.