Reported Reactions

Drugs › Programmed death Ligand-1 blocker

Brand name · Avelumab

Bavencio: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,737 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2017–2026. Class: Programmed death Ligand-1 blocker.

1,737
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 190 a year
154
reports, 12 months to June 2026
155 in the 12 months before
84.7%
marked serious by the reporter
94.8% across the class
28.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
489 reports · not verified by FDA

1,737 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Bavencio (avelumab) as a suspect or interacting product, from May 2017 to June 2026. A further 49 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 154 reports listed it, close to the 155 of the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 190 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 7.4% of the reports for the programmed death Ligand-1 blocker class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are disease progression (15.1%), death (14.4%) and infusion related reaction (5.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 303 different terms appear across these reports. Disease progression is recorded in 15.1% of these reports, a larger share than in the median programmed death Ligand-1 blocker drug (4.2%).

84.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (94.8% across the class); 28.2% record death among the outcomes and 29% record hospitalisation, as reported. 63.8% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 75 and over (30.3%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

03875Jul 2021: 20Aug 2021: 24Sep 2021: 24Oct 2021: 30Nov 2021: 29Dec 2021: 302022Jan 2022: 23Feb 2022: 28Mar 2022: 43Apr 2022: 26May 2022: 34Jun 2022: 21Jul 2022: 21Aug 2022: 23Sep 2022: 22Oct 2022: 20Nov 2022: 27Dec 2022: 192023Jan 2023: 20Feb 2023: 19Mar 2023: 32Apr 2023: 24May 2023: 30Jun 2023: 15Jul 2023: 21Aug 2023: 15Sep 2023: 15Oct 2023: 19Nov 2023: 18Dec 2023: 202024Jan 2024: 14Feb 2024: 13Mar 2024: 17Apr 2024: 25May 2024: 19Jun 2024: 75Jul 2024: 15Aug 2024: 8Sep 2024: 13Oct 2024: 17Nov 2024: 12Dec 2024: 182025Jan 2025: 8Feb 2025: 12Mar 2025: 14Apr 2025: 15May 2025: 5Jun 2025: 18Jul 2025: 16Aug 2025: 13Sep 2025: 10Oct 2025: 11Nov 2025: 9Dec 2025: 232026Jan 2026: 15Feb 2026: 8Mar 2026: 18Apr 2026: 17May 2026: 4Jun 2026: 10

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

01543072017: 3320172018: 9920182019: 13920192020: 16320202021: 27620212022: 30720222023: 24820232024: 24620242025: 15420252026: 722026

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Bavencio reports recording the termmedian drug in programmed death ligand-1 blocker

  1. Disease progressionthe disease advanced15.1%262
  2. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term14.4%250
  3. Infusion related reactiona reaction during or soon after an infusion5.4%94
  4. Interstitial lung diseasescarring or inflammation of lung tissue4.8%83
  5. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.8%83
  6. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.9%68
  7. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure3.9%68
  8. Chillschills or shivering3.9%67
  9. Pyrexiafever3.9%67
  10. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.9%51
  11. Fatiguetiredness2.7%47
  12. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell2.7%47
  13. Rashskin rash2.6%45
  14. Hypothyroidismunderactive thyroid2.3%40
  15. Tremorshaking2%35
  16. Decreased appetitereduced appetite1.9%33
  17. Adrenal insufficiencythe adrenal glands produce too little hormone1.6%28
  18. Renal impairmentreduced kidney function1.6%28
  19. Back painback pain1.6%27
  20. Nauseafeeling sick1.5%26
  21. Blood pressure increaseda raised blood pressure reading1.4%25
  22. Vomitingbeing sick1.4%25
  23. Neuropathy peripheralnerve damage in hands or feet1.4%24
  24. Pneumonialung infection1.4%24
  25. Thrombocytopenialow platelets1.2%21
  26. Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function1.2%20

Top 30 of 303 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 4 drugs in the programmed death ligand-1 blocker class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death28.2%489
Life-threatening4.7%82
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)29%503
Disability1.1%19
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious41.3%717
Not serious15.3%265

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 23,488 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 20%0
2 to 110%0
12 to 170.1%1
18 to 440.7%12
45 to 6415.9%277
65 to 7426.5%460
75 and over30.3%526
Age not given26.5%461

Patient sex

Female23.1%401
Male64.3%1,117
Not given12.6%219

Who reported

Physician63.8%1,109
Pharmacist8.5%148
Other health professional13.3%231
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional14.3%248
Not given0.1%1

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 23.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Transitional cell carcinoma38522.2%
Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin24013.8%
Renal cell carcinoma1438.2%
Bladder cancer1257.2%
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma1136.5%
Transitional cell carcinoma metastatic1076.2%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,737 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Bavencio reports
Inlyta32218.5%
Acetaminophen1729.9%
Diphenhydramine824.7%
Axitinib754.3%
Benadryl321.8%
Amlodipine271.6%
Aspirin251.4%
Kardegic251.4%
Paracetamol221.3%
Bisoprolol211.2%

Other products listed in reports where Bavencio is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureBavencioProgrammed death Ligand-1 blockerAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,73723,48820,646,523
Share of that pool—7.4%0%
Reports, latest 12 months154—1,332,454
Marked serious84.7%94.8%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports28230491
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports290316213
Consumer-filed share14.3%20.2%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDisease progression 15.1%median 4.2%0.6%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the programmed death ligand-1 blocker class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Imfinzibrand12,0982,56093.6%
Durvalumabgeneric7,6292,24598.5%
Avelumabgeneric2,02411397.1%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Bavencio reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Bavencio?

1,737 reports list Bavencio as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 154 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 49 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Bavencio reports?

disease progression (15.1%), death (14.4%), infusion related reaction (5.4%), interstitial lung disease (4.8%) and off label use (4.8%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Bavencio was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

84.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 28.2% of reports include death and 29% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

physician (63.8%), consumer or non-health professional (14.3%) and other health professional (13.3%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Bavencio rising?

154 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 155 of the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Bavencio was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Bavencio?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Bavencio as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (49) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.