U.S. to Reassess Arthritis Drug Safety
(Washington, Health AP, 3/5/03)

The government is reassessing the safety of popular arthritis medications because of increasing reports of serious side effects, including cancer and liver failure. Dr. Karen Weiss of the FDA says that the drugs have "pros and cons," but Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group, insists that one of the drugs, Arava, should be banned because of its potentially toxic and deadly side effects. Meanwhile Arava's manufacturer claims that "causality is not easy to determine."