Reported Reactions

Drugs › Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker

Brand name · Cisatracurium besylate

Cisatracurium: adverse event reports filed with FDA

786 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker. Also reported as Cisatracurium Injection.

786
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 35 a year
53
reports, 12 months to June 2026
38 in the 12 months before
98.5%
marked serious by the reporter
90% across the class
11.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
88 reports · not verified by FDA

Between March 2004 and June 2026, 786 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Cisatracurium (cisatracurium besylate) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (881) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 53 reports listed it, up 39% from 38 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 35 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 8.3% of the reports for the nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The MedDRA terms listed most often are off label use (11.2%), anaphylactic shock (9.3%) and anaphylactic reaction (7.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 218 different terms appear across these reports. Off label use is recorded in 11.2% of these reports, a larger share than in the median nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker drug (2%).

98.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (90% across the class); 11.2% record death among the outcomes and 37% record hospitalisation, as reported. 45.7% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (31.2%). 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

01530Jul 2021: 15Aug 2021: 18Sep 2021: 30Oct 2021: 5Nov 2021: 10Dec 2021: 32022Jan 2022: 0Feb 2022: 2Mar 2022: 3Apr 2022: 8May 2022: 4Jun 2022: 9Jul 2022: 1Aug 2022: 3Sep 2022: 14Oct 2022: 9Nov 2022: 4Dec 2022: 102023Jan 2023: 16Feb 2023: 7Mar 2023: 10Apr 2023: 6May 2023: 17Jun 2023: 3Jul 2023: 13Aug 2023: 8Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 3Nov 2023: 8Dec 2023: 102024Jan 2024: 7Feb 2024: 9Mar 2024: 3Apr 2024: 2May 2024: 5Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 1Sep 2024: 0Oct 2024: 1Nov 2024: 5Dec 2024: 12025Jan 2025: 2Feb 2025: 5Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 15May 2025: 7Jun 2025: 1Jul 2025: 7Aug 2025: 3Sep 2025: 5Oct 2025: 1Nov 2025: 9Dec 2025: 72026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 1Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 5May 2026: 4Jun 2026: 5

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

0591172004: 320042005: 12006: 32007: 220072008: 22009: 142012: 220122013: 162014: 222015: 3920152016: 332017: 252018: 5120182019: 762020: 892021: 11720212022: 672023: 1052024: 3620242025: 622026: 21

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Cisatracurium reports recording the termmedian drug in nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker

  1. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label11.2%88
  2. Anaphylactic shocka severe allergic reaction with collapse9.3%73
  3. Anaphylactic reactiona severe, sudden allergic reaction7.9%62
  4. Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptomsDRESS, a severe reaction with rash, fever and organ involvement7%55
  5. Hypotensionlow blood pressure6%47
  6. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected4.3%34
  7. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped3.6%28
  8. Mixed liver injury3.3%26
  9. Bradycardiaslow heart rate3.2%25
  10. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines3.2%25
  11. Hyperthermia malignant3.2%25
  12. Multiple organ dysfunction syndromeseveral organs failing3.2%25
  13. Rhabdomyolysismuscle breakdown3.1%24
  14. Myoclonus2.5%20
  15. Covid-19COVID-19 infection2.2%17
  16. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure2.2%17
  17. Tachycardiafast heart rate2.2%17
  18. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy1.9%15
  19. Post procedural complicationa complication after a procedure1.8%14
  20. Apnoeapauses in breathing1.7%13
  21. Anuria1.5%12
  22. Constipationconstipation1.5%12
  23. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label1.5%12
  24. Thrombocytopenialow platelets1.5%12
  25. Toxic encephalopathy1.5%12

Top 30 of 218 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 5 drugs in the nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker 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

Death11.2%88
Life-threatening26.5%208
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)37%291
Disability0.5%4
Congenital anomaly0.9%7
Other serious64.8%509
Not serious1.5%12

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 9,444 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 22.2%17
2 to 110.8%6
12 to 172.9%23
18 to 4421.1%166
45 to 6431.2%245
65 to 7415.3%120
75 and over10.8%85
Age not given15.8%124

Patient sex

Female43.8%344
Male48.3%380
Not given7.9%62

Who reported

Physician45.7%359
Pharmacist8%63
Other health professional41.6%327
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional2.8%22
Not given1.9%15

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 13.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
General anaesthesia12215.5%
Anaesthesia769.7%
Sedation546.9%
Endotracheal intubation364.6%
Induction of anaesthesia364.6%
Sedative therapy232.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 786 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Cisatracurium reports
Propofol47159.9%
Midazolam29137%
Sufentanil27935.5%
Fentanyl20325.8%
Dexamethasone16921.5%
Ketamine13717.4%
Norepinephrine11614.8%
Sevoflurane11514.6%
Furosemide8911.3%
Remifentanil8410.7%

Other products listed in reports where Cisatracurium 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

MeasureCisatracuriumNondepolarizing neuromuscular blockerAll reports
Reports as suspect product7869,44420,646,523
Share of that pool—8.3%0%
Reports, latest 12 months53—1,332,454
Marked serious98.5%90%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports1126991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports370302213
Consumer-filed share2.8%5.4%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsOff label use 11.2%median 2%4.1%

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 nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Rocuronium bromidegeneric4,04651783%
Rocuroniumgeneric3,35862896.2%
Vecuronium bromidegeneric7433186.9%
Atracurium besylategeneric5114296.9%

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 Cisatracurium reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Cisatracurium?

786 reports list Cisatracurium as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 53 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 881 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Cisatracurium reports?

off label use (11.2%), anaphylactic shock (9.3%), anaphylactic reaction (7.9%), drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (7%) and hypotension (6%). 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 Cisatracurium was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

98.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 11.2% of reports include death and 37% 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 (45.7%), other health professional (41.6%) and pharmacist (8%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Cisatracurium rising?

53 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 39% from 38 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 Cisatracurium 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 Cisatracurium?

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 Cisatracurium as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (881) 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.