Leflunomide, sold under the brand name Arava among others, is an immunosuppressive disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD),[4] used in active moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. It is a pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor that works by inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase.[5]
Medical use
Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are the only indications that have received regulatory approval.[3][6] Arava was developed by Sanofi Aventis and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998. There have been reports on potential re-purposing of leflunomide for treatment of solid tumors with loss of function of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN.[7]