Cefazolin: adverse event reports filed with FDA

4,193

reports as suspect product

0% of all reports · about 186 a year

293

reports, 12 months to June 2026

338 in the 12 months before

92%

marked serious by the reporter

89.1% across the class

7.5%

record death among outcomes, as reported

313 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

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

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Cefazolin reports recording the termmedian drug in cephalosporin antibacterial

1. Anaphylactic reactiona severe, sudden allergic reaction9%376
2. Rashskin rash8.8%368
3. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected7.7%324
4. Hypotensionlow blood pressure7.3%305
5. Anaphylactic shocka severe allergic reaction with collapse6.7%280
6. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine6.5%271
7. Urticariahives5%211
8. Erythemaskin redness3.6%153
9. Pyrexiafever3.4%142
10. Pruritusitching3.1%128
11. Clostridium difficile colitisa bowel infection with C. difficile3%125
12. Infectionan infection, type not specified2.9%121
13. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.8%116
14. Tachycardiafast heart rate2.7%114
15. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine2.5%106
16. Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptomsDRESS, a severe reaction with rash, fever and organ involvement2.5%105
17. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.5%105
18. Nauseafeeling sick2.5%103
19. Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis2.4%100
20. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort2.3%97
21. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label2.3%97
22. Exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy2.3%96
23. Premature babya baby born early2.2%94
24. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy2.2%92
25. Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function2.1%90
26. Rheumatoid arthritisrheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease2.1%90
27. Cellulitisa skin infection2%85
28. Angioedemadeep swelling of skin or mucous membranes2%82
29. Bronchospasmtightening of the airways1.9%81
30. Drug-induced liver injury1.9%79

Top 30 of 835 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 17 drugs in the cephalosporin antibacterial 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

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 57,006 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

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 37.4% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 4,193 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Cefazolin 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

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 cephalosporin antibacterial class

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.

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 Cefazolin as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (5,067) 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.