Americans living with rheumatoid arthritis now have another generic medication option to consider.
On Oct. 1, Sanofi announced that an American generic version of the company’s Arava® medication is now available through Winthrop, Sanofi’s authorized generic division.
Leflunomide aims to improve mobility by blocking autoimmune antibodies that reduce inflammation. The new generic is the same formulation of Arava to which Sanofi holds the original patent.
“The Arava authorized generic assures patients that they receive the same quality treatment of the original drug,” said Dr. Cary Yonce, Vice President, General Therapeutics and Life Cycle Management at Sanofi. “We are committed to making authorized generics like Arava available and affordable to patients who need them.”
The Food and Drug Administration first approved Arava in 1998, and this authorized generic has the identical chemical makeup as Arava, according to Sanofi.
Arava and its generic, Leflunomide, can be used with other disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, with other biologics or alone. This class of drugs helps to reduce the symptoms and prevent structural damage of joints as shown in X-Ray examinations.
“More than 1.5 million Americans live with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),” said Dr. Paul Chew, Global Chief Medical Officer, Sanofi. “RA can cause swelling, pain and deformity in your joints, making simple tasks like getting out of a car or buttoning a shirt difficult. We want to lessen that burden for people living with RA.”
