Loading...
Leflunomide (Arava), an immunomodulatory agent that inhibits pyrimidine synthesis, is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) that was approved several years ago for use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Results from initial 12-month studies showed leflunomide's efficacy to be similar to that of methotrexate. Researchers now report data from a manufacturer-sponsored study of 508 RA patients who were randomized to oral therapy with leflunomide, methotrexate, or placebo; none of the enrollees had received methotrexate previously.
A total of 199 patients completed 2 years of treatment: 98 leflunomide recipients and 101 methotrexate recipients. At 24 months, 79 percent of leflunomide recipients and 67 percent of methotrexate rec…