Articles
Leflunomide as an Alternative csDMARD for Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Resource-Constrained Setting
RA treatment gaps in Africa, bDMARDs often unavailable despite poor prognosis; EULAR eyes LEF as a first-line option.
Early treatment with methotrexate (MTX) remains the mainstay of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. In patients with inadequate response to MTX, the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommends the addition of a biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) if poor prognostic factors are present. Despite patients in Africa frequently having poor prognostic factors, bDMARDs are often not available. Leflunomide (LEF) has been shown to be a potent DMARD, leading EULAR to question whether its efficacy is equivalent to MTX as a first-line agent.
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