Arava
Meant for treating rheumatoid arthritis, Arava (whose scientific name is leflunomide), manufactured by Aventis Pharmaceuticals, was reportedly found to have serious side effects and even caused deaths in many patients.
Liver damage, high blood pressure, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, blood and skin disorders are the severe consequences for Arava consumers. It has also been reported that this drug can cause birth defects if taken by pregnant mothers.
Arava is seen to be dangerous because of the length of time it stays in the body. Even after stopping medication, patients still have the drug lingering in their bodies much longer than other drugs, which means it can do more harm. Normal detox methods to flush this drug out of the system do not seem to work on patients who suffer from Arava’s side effects.
Approved by the FDA in 1998, this drug was later also authorized in Europe in 2000, and then Japan in 2003. It was reported that five deaths in Japan were related to Arava. After that, patients with respiratory problems were not recommended to be medicated with this drug. Twelve other Arava-related deaths were allegedly due to liver toxicity. Apparently, class action lawsuits were initiated against Aventis for this drug in 2004.
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