Consumer watchdog group Public Citizen asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today to immediately remove the arthritis drug Arava from the market. Manufactured by Aventis Pharmaceuticals and approved in 1998, Arava, also known as Leflunomide, has been linked to dozens of cases of liver toxicity. At least ten patients have died of liver failure while using the drug. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, called the numbers "disturbing."

The interest group is also concerned about Arava's tendency to remain in the body's tissues. Because of this, adverse reactions to the drug may continue for an extended period. Last year, the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) issued a warning about Arava after an alarming number of people who took the arthritis drug became afflicted with various liver maladies.