Reported Reactions

Drugs › Nucleoside metabolic inhibitor

Generic name

Clofarabine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,020 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Nucleoside metabolic inhibitor. Also reported as Oral Clofarabine, Clofarabine Tablet, Clofarabine Injection.

2,020
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 92 a year
77
reports, 12 months to June 2026
82 in the 12 months before
96.5%
marked serious by the reporter
92.2% across the class
40.8%
record death among outcomes, as reported
824 reports · not verified by FDA

Between July 2004 and June 2026, 2,020 adverse event reports received by FDA list clofarabine, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (354) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 77 reports listed it, close to the 82 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 92 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.6% of the reports for the nucleoside metabolic inhibitor 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 febrile neutropenia (13.3%), off label use (9.6%) and pyrexia (9.3%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 526 different terms appear across these reports. Febrile neutropenia is recorded in 13.3% of these reports, a larger share than in the median nucleoside metabolic inhibitor drug (5%).

96.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (92.2% across the class); 40.8% record death among the outcomes and 33% record hospitalisation, as reported. 49.1% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (15.6%). 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

01835Jul 2021: 22Aug 2021: 5Sep 2021: 0Oct 2021: 2Nov 2021: 8Dec 2021: 22022Jan 2022: 15Feb 2022: 2Mar 2022: 3Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 9Jun 2022: 5Jul 2022: 4Aug 2022: 5Sep 2022: 11Oct 2022: 19Nov 2022: 6Dec 2022: 22023Jan 2023: 2Feb 2023: 7Mar 2023: 4Apr 2023: 8May 2023: 7Jun 2023: 2Jul 2023: 14Aug 2023: 8Sep 2023: 4Oct 2023: 1Nov 2023: 2Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 3Feb 2024: 2Mar 2024: 17Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 3Jun 2024: 6Jul 2024: 2Aug 2024: 8Sep 2024: 3Oct 2024: 11Nov 2024: 4Dec 2024: 142025Jan 2025: 5Feb 2025: 5Mar 2025: 18Apr 2025: 6May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 5Jul 2025: 5Aug 2025: 2Sep 2025: 5Oct 2025: 2Nov 2025: 2Dec 2025: 62026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 35Mar 2026: 5Apr 2026: 4May 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

0911812004: 520042005: 732006: 1252007: 4020072008: 452009: 532010: 6720102011: 872012: 1562013: 5720132014: 1812015: 1082016: 10020162017: 1122018: 1752019: 11520192020: 942021: 902022: 8420222023: 592024: 772025: 6220252026: 55

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Clofarabine reports recording the termmedian drug in nucleoside metabolic inhibitor

  1. Febrile neutropeniafever with low white blood cells13.3%268
  2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label9.6%193
  3. Pyrexiafever9.3%187
  4. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection7.5%151
  5. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected7%142
  6. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell5.6%113
  7. Nauseafeeling sick5.4%109
  8. Vomitingbeing sick5%102
  9. Pancytopenialow counts of all blood cells4.7%94
  10. Hypotensionlow blood pressure4.3%87
  11. Pneumonialung infection4.3%87
  12. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term4.1%83
  13. Aspartate aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (AST)3.9%79
  14. Alanine aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (ALT)3.8%77
  15. Multiple organ dysfunction syndromeseveral organs failing3.8%76
  16. Oedemaswelling from fluid3.8%76
  17. Respiratory failurethe lungs could not supply enough oxygen3.7%75
  18. Thrombocytopenialow platelets3.7%74
  19. Septic shockshock arising from infection3.4%68
  20. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.3%67
  21. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label3.2%65
  22. Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function3.1%63
  23. Renal failurekidney failure3%60

Top 30 of 526 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 19 drugs in the nucleoside metabolic inhibitor 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

Death40.8%824
Life-threatening10.8%218
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)33%666
Disability1%20
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious57.7%1,165
Not serious3.5%70

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 313,386 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 23.7%75
2 to 1110.4%211
12 to 1710.2%206
18 to 4415.6%316
45 to 6415.3%310
65 to 7412.4%250
75 and over2.8%57
Age not given29.5%595

Patient sex

Female32.8%663
Male46.7%943
Not given20.5%414

Who reported

Physician38.2%772
Pharmacist2.6%52
Other health professional49.1%991
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional4.7%94
Not given5.5%111

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 48.2% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Acute myeloid leukaemia58128.8%
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia39219.4%
Bone marrow conditioning regimen1437.1%
Chemotherapy633.1%
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia recurrent472.3%
Myelodysplastic syndrome361.8%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,020 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Clofarabine reports
Cytarabine74136.7%
Cyclophosphamide66532.9%
Etoposide51325.4%
Methotrexate30715.2%
Mycophenolate mofetil25512.6%
Busulfan23311.5%
Dexamethasone20210%
Fludarabine1949.6%
Cyclosporine1929.5%
Fluconazole1708.4%

Other products listed in reports where Clofarabine 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

MeasureClofarabineNucleoside metabolic inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,020313,38620,646,523
Share of that pool—0.6%0%
Reports, latest 12 months77—1,332,454
Marked serious96.5%92.2%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports40821091
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports330380213
Consumer-filed share4.7%11.4%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsFebrile neutropenia 13.3%median 5%0.3%

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 nucleoside metabolic inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Fluorouracilgeneric60,4515,31596.1%
Capecitabinegeneric51,7833,28183.3%
Cytarabinegeneric50,7413,54597.9%
Gemcitabinegeneric33,1982,92097.9%
Xelodabrand32,27928073%
Fludarabinebrand20,2601,90098.7%
Azacitidinegeneric14,9691,83098%
Gemcitabine hydrochloridegeneric12,3991,16497.1%
Mercaptopurinegeneric10,54050795.8%
Vidazabrand9,08735896.9%
Fludarabine phosphategeneric8,42641998.5%
Decitabinegeneric3,02625896.8%
Purixangeneric7672981.5%
Onuregbrand7556949.8%
Pentostatingeneric6971691.7%

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 Clofarabine reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Clofarabine?

2,020 reports list Clofarabine as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 77 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 354 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Clofarabine reports?

febrile neutropenia (13.3%), off label use (9.6%), pyrexia (9.3%), sepsis (7.5%) and drug ineffective (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 Clofarabine was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

96.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 40.8% of reports include death and 33% 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 (38.2%) and not given (5.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Clofarabine rising?

77 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 82 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 Clofarabine 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 Clofarabine?

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 Clofarabine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (354) 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.