Arava Lawyer |
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Facts
on Arava
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| More than 2 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease where the patient's own immune system attacks the joint cartilage, the cushiony material that keeps the joints moving slowly. |
| Rheumatoid arthritis afflicts children and adults, with three times as many women as men suffering from the disease. Two Arava deaths have been people in their 20s. |
| Aventis Pharmaceuticals have reported $225 million in sales for Arava in 2001. |
| The FDA has six times more reports of liver damage among Arava users than methotrexate users, despite methotrexate being prescribed 5.5 times more than Arava. |
| Former FDA scientific adviser and Director of Arizona Arthritis Center, David Yocum pointed out that most health plans require doctors to prescribe Arava before resorting to two new rheumatoid arthritis drugs because they are far more expensive. |
| The FDA has six times more reports of liver damage among Arava users than competitor methotrexate users, despite methotrexate being prescribed 5.5 times more than Arava. |
| Public Citizen filed a petition
to the FDA urging the immediate ban of Arava from the market, finding
Arava's risks outweigh its benefits, which are no better than those
offered by an older, commonly used treatment. |
ADVERSTISEMENT
Arava LawyerIf you suffer from Arava side effects, contact an Arava lawyer! |
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| "With a variety of better drug
treatments available, there is no reason to subject patients to an
accumulating list of added
risks. (Arava) should be promptly removed from the market."
-from the Public Citizen petition to the FDA requesting Arava be immediately banned |
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| Arava
Patient Death Rate Climbing More than two hundred thousand patients have used rheumatoid arthritis drug Arava (leflunomide) since its FDA approval in September 1998. When approved, the FDA said Arava was no better than competitor methotrexate but felt rheumatoid patients needed options. The option appears to have been a dangerous one to Arava patients because of the death rate being 33 times higher than methotrexate patients. Arava Banned?
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Arava
Warning Letter In February 2001, the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medical Products issued a warning to doctors and patients citing nine liver failure deaths in Arava patients. Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Arava's manufacturer, issued a warning letter to physicians two months later. The American College of Rheumatology published a warning to doctors and patients in August to warn of the serious potential Arava side effects by urging monthly blood tests in a patient's first six months on the drug with follow up tests every two to three months after. The FDA is currently considering Public Citizen's petition. Arava
is also dangerous because it remains in the body tissues for an
extended amount of time. Patients who have discontinued their use
of Arava due to adverse effects can continue to experience the symptoms
because of this. |
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| March
29, 2002, MSNBC Rheumatoid arthritis drug Arava (leflunomide) is linked to at least 12 liver failure deaths. Public Citizen filed a petition to the FDA urging them to review the unexpected deaths and serious illnesses that have been attributed to the use of Arava (leflunomide). Former FDA scientific adviser Dr. David Yocum supports Public Citizen's petition because "here we have 12 deaths, and these patients died very quickly. All I can say is, this needs to be reviewed."
Arava
Side Effects About
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Rheumatoid
Arthritis Treatment Options Reporting
Arava Adverse Effects to the FDA |
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| Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
involves inflammation in the lining of the joints and other internal
organs. Unlike other types of arthritis that normally affects the
elderly, rheumatoid arthritis' onset is between ages 25 and 50.
Common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis includes:
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