Doxorubicin hydrochloride: adverse event reports filed with FDA

35,913

reports as suspect product

0.2% of all reports · about 1,597 a year

2,172

reports, 12 months to June 2026

2,485 in the 12 months before

96.9%

marked serious by the reporter

97% across the class

19.6%

record death among outcomes, as reported

7,044 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

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

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Doxorubicin hydrochloride reports recording the termmedian drug in anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor

1. Febrile neutropeniafever with low white blood cells11.8%4,243
2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label10%3,590
3. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell7.6%2,730
4. Pyrexiafever5.6%1,994
5. Disease progressionthe disease advanced4.6%1,649
6. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label4.6%1,647
7. Anaemialow red blood cells4.6%1,637
8. Nauseafeeling sick4.3%1,550
9. Thrombocytopenialow platelets4%1,429
10. Vomitingbeing sick3.7%1,330
11. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection3.6%1,303
12. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.4%1,218
13. Pneumonialung infection3.2%1,166
14. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.9%1,054
15. White blood cell count decreasedlow white cell count2.8%998
16. Pancytopenialow counts of all blood cells2.8%995
17. Fatiguetiredness2.7%976
18. Infectionan infection, type not specified2.6%944
19. Mucosal inflammation2.5%913
20. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.5%911
21. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected2.3%833
22. Neutrophil count decreased2.2%794
23. Neuropathy peripheralnerve damage in hands or feet2.2%789
24. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy2.2%775
25. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.1%743
26. Leukopenialow white blood cells2%735
27. Interstitial lung diseasescarring or inflammation of lung tissue2%724
28. Platelet count decreasedlow platelet count2%723
29. Malignant neoplasm progression2%701
30. Neoplasm progression1.9%688

Top 30 of 2,560 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 7 drugs in the anthracycline topoisomerase 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

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 109,832 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

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 26.7% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 35,913 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Doxorubicin hydrochloride 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

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 anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor class

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.

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 Doxorubicin hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (5,192) 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.