KENNETH B. MOLL & ASSOCIATES, LTD. ARE INVESTIGATING CLAIMS OF DEATHS AS A RESULT OF THE ARTHRITIS DRUG ARAVAŽ

CHICAGO - Kenneth B. Moll & Associates, Ltd. announce that they are investigating claims that the prescription arthritis drug Arava (leflunomide), manufactured by Aventis, has caused severe liver complications including deaths among patients. It is estimated that over 1.5 million prescriptions were written in the United States alone since Arava was introduced in September 1998.

On March 28, 2002, Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately remove Arava from the market due to serious adverse reactions including liver toxicity and liver failure leading to death. According to the petition, there have been at least 130 cases of severe liver toxicity reported to the FDA, including 56 hospitalizations and 22 deaths. Liver toxicity induced by Arava is a suspected cause in 12 of these deaths. Similar reports led the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) to issue a strong warning to patients and physicians concerning the risk of severe liver injury and death for users of Arava.

Public Citizen compared the adverse effects reported for methotrexate, an equally or more effective alternative drug, to those reported for Arava. Although 5.5 times more prescriptions were filled for methotrexate since 1998, there were six times more reports of fatal liver toxicity and 13 times more cases of hypertension in patients who were prescribed Arava. Also, Arava is associated with 12 cases of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a life-threatening autoimmune disease, while methotrexate is not.

There is also the added danger of the extended length of time Arava remains in the body compared to most drugs. Package warnings suggest that Arava byproducts could remain in the body for months. Therefore, even if patients stopped taking the drug, serious side effects could continue to transpire.

According to Kenneth Moll, "Pre-market approval clinical trials clearly indicated that Arava led to severe liver complications. The surprisingly large number of reports of severe side effects and deaths associated with Arava since FDA approval is tragic, and I strongly support Public Citizen's petition for an immediate withdrawal of Arava from the market. Patients currently taking Arava should seriously weigh their options in light of these reports."


Contact Information:
Hal J. Kleinman
KENNETH B. MOLL & ASSOCIATES, LTD.
Three First National Plaza, 54th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602
TEL: 312.558.6444
FAX: 312.558.1112
lawyers@kbmoll.com
www.kbmoll.com




This article courtesy of http://www.yourarthritisguide.info.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.

Submit Your Article