Reported Reactions

Drugs › Cephalosporin antibacterial

Generic name

Cefuroxime axetil: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,100 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Cephalosporin antibacterial. Also reported as Cefuroxime Axetil Tablets.

2,100
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 94 a year
172
reports, 12 months to June 2026
164 in the 12 months before
75.7%
marked serious by the reporter
89.1% across the class
7.7%
record death among outcomes, as reported
161 reports · not verified by FDA

2,100 adverse event reports received by FDA list cefuroxime axetil, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from February 2004 to June 2026. A further 1,345 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, 172 reports listed it, close to the 164 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 94 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 3.7% 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.

The reactions recorded most often are diarrhoea (12.9%), anxiety (12.4%) and fatigue (11.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 623 different terms appear across these reports. Diarrhoea is recorded in 12.9% of these reports, a larger share than in the median cephalosporin antibacterial drug (2.5%).

75.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (89.1% across the class); 7.7% record death among the outcomes and 32% record hospitalisation, as reported. 35% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (26%). 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

04692Jul 2021: 12Aug 2021: 65Sep 2021: 10Oct 2021: 8Nov 2021: 10Dec 2021: 182022Jan 2022: 32Feb 2022: 13Mar 2022: 25Apr 2022: 24May 2022: 7Jun 2022: 14Jul 2022: 79Aug 2022: 14Sep 2022: 17Oct 2022: 11Nov 2022: 12Dec 2022: 102023Jan 2023: 4Feb 2023: 11Mar 2023: 8Apr 2023: 10May 2023: 6Jun 2023: 6Jul 2023: 92Aug 2023: 9Sep 2023: 10Oct 2023: 12Nov 2023: 12Dec 2023: 202024Jan 2024: 15Feb 2024: 24Mar 2024: 6Apr 2024: 9May 2024: 5Jun 2024: 11Jul 2024: 41Aug 2024: 18Sep 2024: 7Oct 2024: 10Nov 2024: 13Dec 2024: 62025Jan 2025: 14Feb 2025: 9Mar 2025: 17Apr 2025: 7May 2025: 11Jun 2025: 11Jul 2025: 68Aug 2025: 7Sep 2025: 16Oct 2025: 12Nov 2025: 12Dec 2025: 62026Jan 2026: 15Feb 2026: 8Mar 2026: 13Apr 2026: 7May 2026: 5Jun 2026: 3

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

01292582004: 2720042005: 302006: 362007: 2120072008: 282009: 312010: 2620102011: 382012: 402013: 3420132014: 392015: 402016: 4420162017: 422018: 1652019: 18920192020: 2072021: 1992022: 25820222023: 2002024: 1652025: 19020252026: 51

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Cefuroxime axetil reports recording the termmedian drug in cephalosporin antibacterial

  1. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools12.9%270
  2. Anxietyanxiety12.4%260
  3. Fatiguetiredness11.4%240
  4. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain10.3%216
  5. Vomitingbeing sick10%211
  6. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness9.9%208
  7. Rashskin rash9.9%207
  8. Dyspnoeashortness of breath9.7%204
  9. Pruritusitching9.2%194
  10. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell8.8%184
  11. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain8.7%182
  12. Urticariahives8%169
  13. Asthmaasthma7.9%166
  14. Hyperhidrosisexcessive sweating7.8%163
  15. Wheezingwheezing7.7%161
  16. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse7.5%157
  17. Migrainemigraine7.1%149
  18. Depressionlow mood7%148
  19. Bronchitischest infection7%147
  20. Agitationrestlessness7%146
  21. Cystitis6.9%145
  22. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right6.9%145
  23. Hallucinationseeing or hearing things that are not there6.9%145
  24. Fluid retentionthe body holding extra fluid6.7%141
  25. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected6.5%136
  26. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg6.1%129

Top 30 of 623 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

Death7.7%161
Life-threatening14.4%302
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)32%672
Disability2.5%52
Congenital anomaly1%20
Other serious60.9%1,278
Not serious24.3%511

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 21%22
2 to 113.9%81
12 to 172%41
18 to 4416.1%339
45 to 6426%545
65 to 7414.5%305
75 and over9.1%191
Age not given27.4%576

Patient sex

Female56%1,175
Male30.7%644
Not given13.4%281

Who reported

Physician24.3%511
Pharmacist4.4%93
Other health professional35%736
Lawyer0.1%2
Consumer or non-health professional32.5%683
Not given3.6%75

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 19% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Urinary tract infection783.7%
Antibiotic prophylaxis763.6%
Malaise612.9%
Sinusitis562.7%
Prophylaxis412%
Antibiotic therapy241.1%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,100 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Cefuroxime axetil reports
Prednisone32915.7%
Albuterol26812.8%
Furosemide26512.6%
Ergocalciferol22210.6%
Tiotropium bromide1949.2%
Breo Ellipta1698%
Calcium carbonate1667.9%
Cephalexin1667.9%
Alendronate sodium1577.5%
Sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim1567.4%

Other products listed in reports where Cefuroxime axetil 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

MeasureCefuroxime axetilCephalosporin antibacterialAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,10057,00620,646,523
Share of that pool—3.7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months172—1,332,454
Marked serious75.7%89.1%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports7713391
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports320454213
Consumer-filed share32.5%11.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDiarrhoea 12.9%median 2.5%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 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%
Ceftazidimegeneric3,31624196.7%
Cefotaximegeneric2,21010498.1%
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 Cefuroxime axetil reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Cefuroxime axetil?

2,100 reports list Cefuroxime axetil as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 172 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,345 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Cefuroxime axetil reports?

diarrhoea (12.9%), anxiety (12.4%), fatigue (11.4%), abdominal pain (10.3%) and vomiting (10%). 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 Cefuroxime axetil was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

75.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 7.7% of reports include death and 32% 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 (35%), consumer or non-health professional (32.5%) and physician (24.3%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Cefuroxime axetil rising?

172 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 164 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 Cefuroxime axetil 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 Cefuroxime axetil?

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 Cefuroxime axetil as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,345) 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.