Reported Reactions

Drugs › Cephalosporin antibacterial

Generic name

Ceftazidime: adverse event reports filed with FDA

3,316 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Cephalosporin antibacterial. Also reported as Ceftazidime For Injection Usp.

3,316
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 147 a year
241
reports, 12 months to June 2026
294 in the 12 months before
96.7%
marked serious by the reporter
89.1% across the class
22.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
747 reports · not verified by FDA

3,316 adverse event reports received by FDA list ceftazidime, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 4,350 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, 241 reports listed it, down 18% from 294 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 147 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 5.8% of the reports for the cephalosporin antibacterial class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded drug ineffective (16.3%), off label use (8.1%) and condition aggravated (6.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 699 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 16.3% of these reports, a larger share than in the median cephalosporin antibacterial drug (8%).

96.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (89.1% across the class); 22.5% record death among the outcomes and 47.4% record hospitalisation, as reported. 49.1% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (24.3%). 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

02244Jul 2021: 16Aug 2021: 24Sep 2021: 27Oct 2021: 19Nov 2021: 22Dec 2021: 352022Jan 2022: 24Feb 2022: 18Mar 2022: 8Apr 2022: 28May 2022: 18Jun 2022: 30Jul 2022: 29Aug 2022: 18Sep 2022: 31Oct 2022: 22Nov 2022: 17Dec 2022: 242023Jan 2023: 22Feb 2023: 19Mar 2023: 12Apr 2023: 19May 2023: 23Jun 2023: 18Jul 2023: 14Aug 2023: 28Sep 2023: 25Oct 2023: 32Nov 2023: 21Dec 2023: 212024Jan 2024: 24Feb 2024: 24Mar 2024: 44Apr 2024: 14May 2024: 40Jun 2024: 44Jul 2024: 19Aug 2024: 30Sep 2024: 40Oct 2024: 26Nov 2024: 24Dec 2024: 342025Jan 2025: 15Feb 2025: 30Mar 2025: 25Apr 2025: 9May 2025: 15Jun 2025: 27Jul 2025: 23Aug 2025: 21Sep 2025: 26Oct 2025: 29Nov 2025: 13Dec 2025: 162026Jan 2026: 21Feb 2026: 21Mar 2026: 12Apr 2026: 19May 2026: 21Jun 2026: 19

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

01823632004: 1020042005: 132006: 362007: 6320072008: 352009: 432010: 6020102011: 622012: 702013: 6720132014: 912015: 772016: 9520162017: 1632018: 2532019: 27020192020: 3422021: 3202022: 26720222023: 2542024: 3632025: 24920252026: 113

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Ceftazidime reports recording the termmedian drug in cephalosporin antibacterial

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected16.3%539
  2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label8.1%269
  3. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse6.8%227
  4. Septic shockshock arising from infection6.2%206
  5. Pyrexiafever5.7%188
  6. Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function4.8%158
  7. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell3.8%127
  8. Endophthalmitisinfection inside the eye3.5%117
  9. Multiple organ dysfunction syndromeseveral organs failing3.5%115
  10. Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptomsDRESS, a severe reaction with rash, fever and organ involvement3.3%108
  11. Dyspnoeashortness of breath3.2%107
  12. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.8%94
  13. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2.7%88
  14. Rashskin rash2.7%88
  15. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection2.6%85
  16. Respiratory failurethe lungs could not supply enough oxygen2.5%84
  17. Toxic epidermal necrolysisa severe skin reaction with peeling2.5%84
  18. Vomitingbeing sick2.5%82
  19. Eye paineye pain2.4%81
  20. Nauseafeeling sick2.4%81
  21. Thrombocytopenialow platelets2.4%81
  22. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.4%78
  23. Pneumonialung infection2.2%72
  24. Choroiditis2.1%71
  25. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine2.1%70
  26. Rash maculo-papulara rash of flat and raised spots2.1%69

Top 30 of 699 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

Death22.5%747
Life-threatening13.6%452
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)47.4%1,572
Disability1.4%45
Congenital anomaly0.9%29
Other serious63.3%2,099
Not serious3.3%110

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

Patient age

Under 23.5%117
2 to 115.5%181
12 to 174.1%136
18 to 4416.6%552
45 to 6424.3%805
65 to 7415%498
75 and over14.7%489
Age not given16.2%538

Patient sex

Female40.6%1,346
Male49.9%1,656
Not given9.5%314

Who reported

Physician32.2%1,068
Pharmacist7.3%242
Other health professional49.1%1,629
Lawyer0%1
Consumer or non-health professional8.5%281
Not given2.9%95

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 17.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Pseudomonas infection1795.4%
Endophthalmitis1775.3%
Infection1604.8%
Antibiotic therapy1273.8%
Pneumonia842.5%
Pyrexia581.7%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 3,316 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Ceftazidime reports
Vancomycin99930.1%
Meropenem62518.8%
Ciprofloxacin56116.9%
Amphotericin b3179.6%
Amikacin3079.3%
Metronidazole3029.1%
Tobramycin2567.7%
Levofloxacin2547.7%
Linezolid2527.6%
Fluconazole2467.4%

Other products listed in reports where Ceftazidime 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

MeasureCeftazidimeCephalosporin antibacterialAll reports
Reports as suspect product3,31657,00620,646,523
Share of that pool—5.8%0%
Reports, latest 12 months241—1,332,454
Marked serious96.7%89.1%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports22513391
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports474454213
Consumer-filed share8.5%11.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 16.3%median 8%6.3%

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

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Ceftriaxonegeneric17,1551,29493.7%
Cephalexingeneric5,64747270.6%
Cefepimegeneric5,41950595%
Cefuroximegeneric5,07829393.9%
Cefazolingeneric4,19329392%
Ceftriaxone sodiumgeneric3,77931193.3%
Cefotaximegeneric2,21010498.1%
Cefuroxime axetilgeneric2,10017275.7%
Cefdinirgeneric1,6148350.3%
Cefazolin sodiumgeneric1,33119195.5%
Cefepime hydrochloridegeneric1,0215186.6%
Cefiximegeneric9338689.8%
Zerbaxabrand8911866.1%
Cefuroxime sodiumgeneric8655197.3%
Cefaclorgeneric7293878.9%

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 Ceftazidime reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Ceftazidime?

3,316 reports list Ceftazidime as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 241 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 4,350 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Ceftazidime reports?

drug ineffective (16.3%), off label use (8.1%), condition aggravated (6.8%), septic shock (6.2%) and pyrexia (5.7%). 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 Ceftazidime was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

96.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 22.5% of reports include death and 47.4% 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?

other health professional (49.1%), physician (32.2%) and consumer or non-health professional (8.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Ceftazidime rising?

241 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 18% from 294 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 Ceftazidime 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 Ceftazidime?

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 Ceftazidime as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (4,350) 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.