Leflunomide monitoring guidelines too cumbersome given ADR profile?

Inpharma 1497 - 23 Jul 2005

Leflunomide monitoring guidelinestoo cumbersome given ADR

profile?Monitoring guidelines for leflunomide could be

altered to correspond with those for methotrexate dueto high compliance with these guidelines and a lowincidence of adverse events that result in dose reductionor withdrawal, according to a study presented at theAnnual European Congress of Rheumatology in Vienna,Austria.

Researchers in the UK analysed data from 90 of210 patients in a general hospital setting who receivedleflunomide for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis oranother rheumatological disease. Adherence tomonitoring guidelines and the incidence of adverseevents resulting in a dose reduction or withdrawal fromtreatment during the first 24 weeks of therapy weredetermined.

With the exception of body weight measurement,compliance with leflunomide monitoring parameterswas > 90%. Few patients discontinued treatment orrequired dose reduction due to clinical or laboratoryadverse events. Leflunomide treatment was stopped inone patient due to hypertension and in a second patientdue to rash. Six liver function test abnormalitiesoccurred, all of which were resolved. One of the fourpatients with a full blood count abnormality required aleflunomide dose reduction.

The researchers suggest that the monitoringguidelines for leflunomide may deter rheumatologistsfrom prescribing this agent as the intervals formonitoring vary from those used for other DMARDs.Reece RJ, et al. Leflunomide use in clinical practice: monitoring requirementsplace unnecessary demands on prescribers? Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 64(Suppl. III): 222-223, Jul 2005 801012470

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Inpharma 23 Jul 2005 No. 14971173-8324/10/1497-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved