Dose escalation of leflunomide (LEF) to 40 mg once daily in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and insufficient response to standard dose LEF

Abstract

Leflunomide (LEF) is a new disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and it is recommended that it is given in a loading dose of 100 mg over 3 days followed by a stable dose of 20 mg/day. 1, 2 The dose of 20 mg/day LEF was recommended because in an initial study which compared 5, 10, and 25 mg/day LEF the highest dose tended to result in an increased rate of adverse events. 3 However, in this study a clear dose-response relationship with best results in the 25 mg/day group was observed as well. [...]the aim of this investigation was to evaluate whether patients who tolerate LEF in the standard dose of 20 mg/day will tolerate a dose escalation of LEF to 40 mg/day and whether this improves the efficacy of the treatment.