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Arava®

Do not discontinue taking any medications without first consulting your physician.

What is Arava®?
Arava® is the first orally-administered drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis. It is a Disease-Modifying AntiRheumatic Drug (DMARD), a class of drugs that relieve pain and slow the disease’s progression but also carry health risks. It was developed to compete with methotrexate, an extremely similar DMARD that is the standard drug treatment for advanced rheumatoid arthritis. The FDA acknowledged Arava was not significantly different or better than methotrexate, but they justified its approval by saying it gave consumers some choice.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks cartilage and joint linings. It is not the same as osteoarthritis, the more common form of arthritis, which involves cartilage breakdown usually related to aging. Rheumatoid arthritis can start in the twenties or even earlier.

Why is Arava dangerous?
While virtually all arthritis medicines require monitoring of liver functions, Arava is unusually dangerous. Arava is linked to six times more liver damage reports than the most common DMARD treatment. In this country alone, among its 200,000 users there have been 130 confirmed cases of severe liver toxicity, 56 hospitalizations and at least 12 deaths. Similar figures were reported in Europe when the drug had been on the market for significantly less time there.

What has been done to protect consumers?
The FDA has always warned the healthcare industry that Arava carries the risk of liver damage, diarrhea, skin rash, and hair loss. In Europe , the European Medicines Evaluation Agency released a public alert in March of 2001 that warned the public of hundreds of liver reactions to Arava, some of which were fatal. Finally, in late March of 2002, public interest organization Public Citizen asked the federal government to remove Arava from the marketplace for its health hazards.

What should I do if I took Arava?
If you or someone you love took Arava for any period of time, you should consult your physician to determine whether there are signs of possible liver problems. Your health is important. Call us or fill out our online consultation form so that we may evaluate your claim.


Do not discontinue taking any medications without first consulting your physician. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute medical advice and should not be viewed as such. For medical advice, you should always consult with your physician.

Arava® is a registered trademark of Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. The reference to the registered trademarks of Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. is used here only for the purpose of identifying the product in question.

This law firm is not affiliated with, sponsored by or associated with Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., the FDA, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, or Public Citizen.

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