Reported Reactions

Drugs › Topoisomerase inhibitor

Brand name · Irinotecan hydrochloride

Camptosar: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,535 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Topoisomerase inhibitor.

2,535
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 113 a year
110
reports, 12 months to June 2026
100 in the 12 months before
85.4%
marked serious by the reporter
96.8% across the class
22.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
581 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and May 2026, 2,535 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Camptosar (irinotecan hydrochloride) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (746) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 110 reports listed it, up 10% from 100 in 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 113 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 2.9% of the reports for the topoisomerase inhibitor 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 diarrhoea (17.6%), vomiting (9.7%) and nausea (9.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 573 different terms appear across these reports. Diarrhoea is recorded in 17.6% of these reports, a larger share than in the median topoisomerase inhibitor drug (3.7%).

85.4% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (96.8% across the class); 22.9% record death among the outcomes and 52.7% record hospitalisation, as reported. 37.6% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (29.1%). 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

01121Jul 2021: 2Aug 2021: 8Sep 2021: 10Oct 2021: 8Nov 2021: 3Dec 2021: 62022Jan 2022: 21Feb 2022: 11Mar 2022: 10Apr 2022: 4May 2022: 7Jun 2022: 10Jul 2022: 14Aug 2022: 20Sep 2022: 7Oct 2022: 5Nov 2022: 9Dec 2022: 102023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 3Mar 2023: 2Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 1Jun 2023: 2Jul 2023: 5Aug 2023: 5Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 3Nov 2023: 9Dec 2023: 42024Jan 2024: 9Feb 2024: 5Mar 2024: 10Apr 2024: 9May 2024: 8Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 7Aug 2024: 3Sep 2024: 1Oct 2024: 12Nov 2024: 8Dec 2024: 92025Jan 2025: 9Feb 2025: 19Mar 2025: 7Apr 2025: 11May 2025: 8Jun 2025: 6Jul 2025: 15Aug 2025: 19Sep 2025: 15Oct 2025: 11Nov 2025: 4Dec 2025: 62026Jan 2026: 6Feb 2026: 7Mar 2026: 14Apr 2026: 8May 2026: 5Jun 2026: 0

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

01372742004: 27420042005: 1002006: 1002007: 14420072008: 1092009: 1862010: 26320102011: 1412012: 802013: 8120132014: 592015: 812016: 6720162017: 922018: 1022019: 8520192020: 742021: 722022: 12820222023: 442024: 832025: 13020252026: 40

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Camptosar reports recording the termmedian drug in topoisomerase inhibitor

  1. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools17.6%447
  2. Vomitingbeing sick9.7%245
  3. Nauseafeeling sick9.4%238
  4. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term8.1%206
  5. Disease progressionthe disease advanced7.3%186
  6. Dehydrationdehydration7.1%180
  7. Pyrexiafever6.1%154
  8. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain5.8%148
  9. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell5.4%137
  10. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy5%126
  11. Fatiguetiredness4.7%118
  12. Anaemialow red blood cells3.4%85
  13. Febrile neutropeniafever with low white blood cells3.3%83
  14. Haemoglobin decreasedlow haemoglobin3.1%78
  15. Pulmonary embolisma blood clot in the lung3.1%78
  16. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection2.7%68
  17. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.5%64
  18. Thrombocytopenialow platelets2.5%64
  19. Weight decreasedweight loss2.5%64
  20. Leukopenialow white blood cells2.4%61
  21. Hypokalaemialow blood potassium2.4%60
  22. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.2%56
  23. White blood cell count decreasedlow white cell count2.2%55
  24. Painpain, site not specified2.1%53
  25. Pneumonialung infection2.1%53
  26. Chillschills or shivering2%50
  27. Decreased appetitereduced appetite1.9%48
  28. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label1.9%47
  29. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1.7%44
  30. Tachycardiafast heart rate1.7%44

Top 30 of 573 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 12 drugs in the topoisomerase inhibitor 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

Death22.9%581
Life-threatening4.7%119
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)52.7%1,337
Disability1.3%34
Congenital anomaly0%1
Other serious22.3%566
Not serious14.6%369

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 86,440 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 20.8%20
2 to 113.3%83
12 to 171.3%33
18 to 445.9%149
45 to 6429.1%738
65 to 7419%482
75 and over6.2%158
Age not given34.4%872

Patient sex

Female36.9%936
Male54.2%1,375
Not given8.8%224

Who reported

Physician37.6%954
Pharmacist5.1%130
Other health professional25.1%637
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional10%254
Not given22.1%560

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 65.5% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Colon cancer2279%
Colorectal cancer1295.1%
Colorectal cancer metastatic803.2%
Colon cancer metastatic773%
Rectal cancer672.6%
Gastric cancer491.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,535 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Camptosar reports
Fluorouracil80931.9%
Leucovorin calcium59323.4%
Eloxatin46818.5%
Erbitux2218.7%
Avastin2028%
Vincristine sulfate1315.2%
Bevacizumab1204.7%
Cisplatin1204.7%
Dactinomycin1144.5%
Cyclophosphamide1114.4%

Other products listed in reports where Camptosar 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

MeasureCamptosarTopoisomerase inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,53586,44020,646,523
Share of that pool—2.9%0%
Reports, latest 12 months110—1,332,454
Marked serious85.4%96.8%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports22923191
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports527362213
Consumer-filed share10%6.8%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDiarrhoea 17.6%median 3.7%3.1%

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 topoisomerase inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Etoposidegeneric62,2914,74997.9%
Irinotecan hydrochloridegeneric6,09580096.6%
Mitoxantronegeneric4,06513298.8%
Topotecangeneric3,66818796.6%
Onivydebrand1,91161492%
Hycamtinbrand1,5261479.2%
Mitoxantrone hydrochloridegeneric1,2133997.1%
VePesidbrand9002096.7%
Topotecan hydrochloridegeneric8673696.8%
Etoposide phosphategeneric7476396.5%
Etopophosbrand622884.2%

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 Camptosar reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Camptosar?

2,535 reports list Camptosar as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 110 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 746 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Camptosar reports?

diarrhoea (17.6%), vomiting (9.7%), nausea (9.4%), death (8.1%) and disease progression (7.3%). 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 Camptosar was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

85.4% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 22.9% of reports include death and 52.7% 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 (37.6%), other health professional (25.1%) and not given (22.1%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Camptosar rising?

110 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 10% from 100 in 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 Camptosar 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 Camptosar?

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 Camptosar as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (746) 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.