Pneumonitis associated with leflunomide: A profile of New Zealand and Australian reports

Internal Medicine Journal

Volumn 36, Issue 3, 2006, Pages 162-169

  Savage, R L ^a,d   Highton, J ^a   Boyd, I W ^c   Chapman, P ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO   (New Zealand)

^b CHRISTCHURCH HOSPITAL   (New Zealand)

^c THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION   (Australia)

^d New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

Adverse drug reaction; Leflunomide; Methotrexate; Pneumonitis; Rheumatoid arthritis

Indexed keywords

ANTIBIOTIC AGENT; CEFTRIAXONE; COLESTYRAMINE; CORTICOSTEROID; DISEASE MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUG; HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE; LEFLUNOMIDE; METHOTREXATE; PREDNISONE; SALAZOSULFAPYRIDINE;

ADULT; AGED; ALLERGIC PNEUMONITIS; ANEMIA; ANOREXIA; ARTICLE; AUSTRALIA; CLINICAL ARTICLE; COUGHING; DIARRHEA; DRUG INDUCED DISEASE; DYSPNEA; FEMALE; FEVER; FLU LIKE SYNDROME; HEART FAILURE; HEPATITIS; HUMAN; HYPOXEMIA; KIDNEY DYSFUNCTION; LETHARGY; LUNG INFILTRATE; LUNG TOXICITY; MALAISE; MALE; NAUSEA; NEW ZEALAND; NIGHT SWEAT; PANCYTOPENIA; PNEUMONIA; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RESPIRATORY ARREST; RESPIRATORY FAILURE; RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASE; RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; SIDE EFFECT; THORAX PAIN; WEIGHT REDUCTION;

ADULT; AGE DISTRIBUTION; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; ARTHRITIS, RHEUMATOID; AUSTRALIA; COHORT STUDIES; FEMALE; FOLLOW-UP STUDIES; HUMANS; INCIDENCE; ISOXAZOLES; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PNEUMONIA; RESPIRATORY FUNCTION TESTS; RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES; RISK ASSESSMENT; SEVERITY OF ILLNESS INDEX; SEX DISTRIBUTION; SURVIVAL RATE;

EID: 33645306584     PISSN: 14440903     EISSN: 14455994     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2006.01035.x     Document Type: Article

References (16)

1. Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Arava tablets data sheet June 2004 [cited Feb 2005]. Available from http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/a/aravatab.htm
2. Smolen JS Graninger WB Emery P. Leflunomide, a new disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug and the never ending rheumatoid arthritis story [editorial]. Rheumatology 2000 39 689 92.
3. Loorand-Stiver L Murty M. Leflunomide (Arava): haematologic, hepatic and respiratory reactions. Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter 12 2 3 October 2002.
4. Aventis Dear Health Care Professional letter. Subject: Arava (leflunomide) and interstitial lung disease 21 June, 2004. Available from. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca
5. Imokawa S Colby TV Leslie KO Helmers RA. Methotrexate pneumonitis: review of the literature and histopathological findings in nine patients. Eur Respir J 2000 15 373 81.
6. Searles G McKendry RJR. Methotrexate pneumonitis in rheumatoid arthritis: potential risk factors. Four case reports and a review of the literature. J Rheumatol 1987 14 1164 71.
7. Vial T Chevrel G Descotes J. Drugs acting on the immune system. In Dukes MNG Aronson JK eds. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs 14th edn. Amsterdam Elsevier 2000 1246 337.
8. Kremer JM Alarcon GS Weinblatt ME Kaymakcian MV Macaluso M Cannon GW et al. Clinical, laboratory, radiographic, and histopathologic features of methotrexate-associated lung injury in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter study with literature review. Arthritis Rheum 1997 40 1829 37.
9. Kremer JM Genovese MC Cannon GW Caldwell JR Cush JJ Furst DE et al. Concomitant leflunomide therapy in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite stable doses of methotrexate. Ann Intern Med 2002 137 726 33.
10. Kremer J Genovese M Cannon GW Caldwell J Cush J Furst DE et al. Combination leflunomide and methotrexate (MTX) therapy for patients with active rheumatoid arthritis failing MTX monotherapy: open-label extension of a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. J Rheumatol 2004 31 1521 31.
11. Weinblatt ME Kremer JM Coblyn JS Maier AL Helfgott SM Morrell M et al. Pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of a combination treatment with methotrexate and leflunomide in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Arth Rheum 1999 42 1322 8.
12. Bate A Lindquist M Edwards IR Orre R. A data mining approach for signal detection and analysis. Drug Safety 2002 25 393 7.
13. Cannon GW Holden WL Juhaeri J Dai W Scarazzini L Stang P. Adverse events with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD): a cohort study of leflunomide compared with other DMARD. J Rheumatol 2004 31 1906 11.
14. McCurry J. Japan deaths spark concern over arthritis drug. (Medicine and Health Policy). Lancet 2004 363 461.
15. Cannon GW Strand V Simon LS Kavanaugh AF Hochberg MC Scarazzini L et al. Interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving leflunomide. Poster presented at ACR/ARHP 68th Annual Scientific Meeting San Antonio, USA October 2004.
16. Alarcon GS Kremer JM Macaluso M Weinblatt ME Cannon GW Palmer WR et al. Risk factors for methotrexate-induced lung injury in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A multicenter, case-control study. Ann Intern Med 1997 127 356 64.