Safety & Efficacy of Canakinumab (ACZ885) in Patients With Frequent Flares for Whom Nonsterodial Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAIDs) and/ or Colchicine Are Contraindicated, Not Tolerated or Ineffective

Inclusion criteria: * Meeting diagnosis criteria for acute arthritis of primary gout. * Start of acute gout flare within 5 days prior to study visit 1 * History of ≥ 3 gout flares within the 12 months prior to study start * Evidence of contraindication (absolute or relative), or intolerance, or lack of efficacy for either NSAIDs and/or colchicines Exclusion criteria: * Requirement for administration of antibiotics against latent tuberculosis (TB), e.g., isoniazide * Refractory heart failure (Stage D). * Unstable cardiac arrhythmias or unstable symptomatic coronary ischemia * Secondary gout, chemotherapy induced gout, lead induced gout and transplant gout * Rheumatoid arthritis, evidence/suspicion of infectious/septic arthritis, or other acute inflammatory arthritis Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply