What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Leflunomide and pioglitazone
Leflunomide's FDA label of June 4, 2025 names pioglitazone in its drug interactions section; the pioglitazone label PlainMeds reads does not name leflunomide. The leflunomide label: “In patients taking ARAVA, exposure of drugs metabolized by CYP2C8 may be increased.”
Check it at the source: the leflunomide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 4, 2025, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC); the pioglitazone FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 28, 2025, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.).
What does the leflunomide label say about pioglitazone?
Leflunomide label, drug interactionsIn patients taking ARAVA, exposure of drugs metabolized by CYP2C8 (e.g., paclitaxel, pioglitazone, repaglinide, rosiglitazone) may be increased.
Source: FDA drug label (Arava), sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, effective June 4, 2025 (SPL set 320f63f2-fac3-4aee-aff8-85724e00ef52), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the pioglitazone label say about leflunomide?
Pioglitazone's label (effective March 28, 2025) does not name leflunomide in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Actos), Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., effective March 28, 2025 (SPL set d2ddc491-88a9-4063-9150-443b4fa4330c), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Leflunomide | Pioglitazone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Rheumatoid arthritis | Type 2 diabetes |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.324 per tablet 10 mg tablet | $0.0675 per tablet 15 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once