Reported Reactions

Drugs › Alkylating drug

Generic name

Chlorambucil: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,486 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Alkylating drug. Also reported as Chlorambucil Tablet.

2,486
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 111 a year
75
reports, 12 months to June 2026
70 in the 12 months before
98.5%
marked serious by the reporter
93.5% across the class
24.4%
record death among outcomes, as reported
606 reports · not verified by FDA

2,486 adverse event reports received by FDA list chlorambucil, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 734 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, 75 reports listed it, close to the 70 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 111 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 1% of the reports for the alkylating drug class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded pneumonia (7.7%), neutropenia (7.5%) and off label use (6.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 529 different terms appear across these reports. Pneumonia is recorded in 7.7% of these reports, a larger share than in the median alkylating drug drug (2.1%).

98.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (93.5% across the class); 24.4% record death among the outcomes and 45.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 42.9% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 75 and over (25.1%). 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: 15Aug 2021: 6Sep 2021: 9Oct 2021: 7Nov 2021: 7Dec 2021: 112022Jan 2022: 4Feb 2022: 7Mar 2022: 1Apr 2022: 11May 2022: 11Jun 2022: 5Jul 2022: 20Aug 2022: 20Sep 2022: 6Oct 2022: 4Nov 2022: 14Dec 2022: 212023Jan 2023: 8Feb 2023: 6Mar 2023: 4Apr 2023: 17May 2023: 10Jun 2023: 14Jul 2023: 15Aug 2023: 8Sep 2023: 8Oct 2023: 5Nov 2023: 10Dec 2023: 72024Jan 2024: 13Feb 2024: 9Mar 2024: 13Apr 2024: 7May 2024: 11Jun 2024: 5Jul 2024: 3Aug 2024: 1Sep 2024: 11Oct 2024: 13Nov 2024: 4Dec 2024: 62025Jan 2025: 6Feb 2025: 2Mar 2025: 1Apr 2025: 7May 2025: 2Jun 2025: 14Jul 2025: 2Aug 2025: 4Sep 2025: 4Oct 2025: 11Nov 2025: 16Dec 2025: 32026Jan 2026: 3Feb 2026: 7Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 6May 2026: 12Jun 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: 1620042005: 132006: 172007: 1120072008: 352009: 362010: 7120102011: 1382012: 1532013: 17120132014: 1572015: 1422016: 18220162017: 1422018: 2582019: 21420192020: 1782021: 1132022: 12420222023: 1122024: 962025: 7220252026: 35

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Chlorambucil reports recording the termmedian drug in alkylating drug

  1. Pneumonialung infection7.7%192
  2. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell7.5%186
  3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label6.4%160
  4. Pyrexiafever6%150
  5. Febrile neutropeniafever with low white blood cells5.4%135
  6. Disease progressionthe disease advanced4.7%116
  7. Thrombocytopenialow platelets4.3%108
  8. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected3.9%96
  9. Anaemialow red blood cells3.4%85
  10. Myositis3.4%84
  11. Infectionan infection, type not specified2.8%69
  12. Infusion related reactiona reaction during or soon after an infusion2.8%69
  13. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection2.5%61
  14. Treatment failurethe treatment did not work2.4%60
  15. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.3%56
  16. Cardiac failure congestivecongestive heart failure2.1%53
  17. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction2.1%53
  18. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.1%53
  19. Pancytopenialow counts of all blood cells2%50
  20. Microsporidia infection1.9%48
  21. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathyPML, a rare brain infection1.9%48
  22. Intentional product use issuedeliberate use not as intended1.9%47
  23. Secondary immunodeficiency1.9%47

Top 30 of 529 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 23 drugs in the alkylating drug 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

Death24.4%606
Life-threatening8%199
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)45.2%1,123
Disability1.1%27
Congenital anomaly0%1
Other serious57.4%1,428
Not serious1.5%38

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 253,205 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%1
2 to 110.4%11
12 to 170.6%14
18 to 444.8%120
45 to 6415.2%379
65 to 7424.1%598
75 and over25.1%623
Age not given29.8%740

Patient sex

Female26.3%653
Male56.1%1,395
Not given17.6%438

Who reported

Physician42.9%1,067
Pharmacist3.1%77
Other health professional41.4%1,030
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional4.9%123
Not given7.6%189

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 8.5% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia1,30952.7%
Hodgkin's disease1144.6%
Non-hodgkin's lymphoma903.6%
B-cell lymphoma471.9%
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia refractory341.4%
Mantle cell lymphoma331.3%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,486 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Chlorambucil reports
Rituximab94838.1%
Cyclophosphamide70128.2%
Prednisone57923.3%
Prednisolone49920.1%
Vincristine43817.6%
Obinutuzumab41016.5%
Fludarabine35514.3%
Dexamethasone34714%
Doxorubicin33913.6%
Allopurinol31812.8%

Other products listed in reports where Chlorambucil 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

MeasureChlorambucilAlkylating drugAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,486253,20520,646,523
Share of that pool—1%0%
Reports, latest 12 months75—1,332,454
Marked serious98.5%93.5%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports24420891
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports452333213
Consumer-filed share4.9%6.3%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsPneumonia 7.7%median 2.1%1.5%

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 alkylating drug class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Cyclophosphamidegeneric141,09912,36097.8%
Ifosfamidegeneric18,6581,32598.2%
Melphalangeneric17,19095698.5%
Temozolomidegeneric15,3241,05582.3%
Busulfangeneric11,8251,09594.9%
Thiotepageneric7,8531,03598.8%
Bendamustine hydrochloridegeneric6,94125396%
Dacarbazinegeneric6,43151196.3%
Temodarbrand4,6522456.1%
Matulanebrand3,84528415.9%
Carmustinegeneric3,37818099%
Treandabrand3,330366.5%
Valchlorbrand2,1141628.4%
Mitomycingeneric2,04111792.4%
Lomustinegeneric1,1009294.8%

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 Chlorambucil reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Chlorambucil?

2,486 reports list Chlorambucil as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 75 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 734 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Chlorambucil reports?

pneumonia (7.7%), neutropenia (7.5%), off label use (6.4%), pyrexia (6%) and febrile neutropenia (5.4%). 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 Chlorambucil was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

98.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 24.4% of reports include death and 45.2% 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 (42.9%), other health professional (41.4%) and not given (7.6%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Chlorambucil rising?

75 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 70 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 Chlorambucil 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 Chlorambucil?

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 Chlorambucil as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (734) 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.