Reported Reactions

Drugs › Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent

Brand name · Epoetin alfa

Epogen: adverse event reports filed with FDA

4,317 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent.

4,317
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 192 a year
27
reports, 12 months to June 2026
181 in the 12 months before
41.8%
marked serious by the reporter
78.3% across the class
5.8%
record death among outcomes, as reported
252 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 4,317 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Epogen (epoetin alfa) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (4,466) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 27 reports listed it, down 85% from 181 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 192 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 6.5% of the reports for the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent 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 product storage error (26%), circumstance or information capable of leading to medication error (12.4%) and therapeutic response decreased (9.3%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 440 different terms appear across these reports. Product storage error is recorded in 26% of these reports, a larger share than in the median erythropoiesis-stimulating agent drug (0.2%).

41.8% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (78.3% across the class); 5.8% record death among the outcomes and 18.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 35.1% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (11%). 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

04998Jul 2021: 2Aug 2021: 3Sep 2021: 10Oct 2021: 15Nov 2021: 25Dec 2021: 82022Jan 2022: 0Feb 2022: 11Mar 2022: 14Apr 2022: 31May 2022: 6Jun 2022: 3Jul 2022: 18Aug 2022: 53Sep 2022: 52Oct 2022: 34Nov 2022: 96Dec 2022: 982023Jan 2023: 52Feb 2023: 23Mar 2023: 28Apr 2023: 41May 2023: 26Jun 2023: 28Jul 2023: 36Aug 2023: 46Sep 2023: 23Oct 2023: 17Nov 2023: 12Dec 2023: 122024Jan 2024: 21Feb 2024: 22Mar 2024: 15Apr 2024: 12May 2024: 26Jun 2024: 38Jul 2024: 93Aug 2024: 21Sep 2024: 41Oct 2024: 9Nov 2024: 2Dec 2024: 22025Jan 2025: 2Feb 2025: 7Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 2May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 2Jul 2025: 3Aug 2025: 1Sep 2025: 1Oct 2025: 2Nov 2025: 2Dec 2025: 12026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 1Mar 2026: 7Apr 2026: 1May 2026: 4Jun 2026: 2

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

02084162004: 14020042005: 632006: 2182007: 18520072008: 1752009: 1542010: 20020102011: 1522012: 2502013: 18920132014: 2072015: 2412016: 20720162017: 2632018: 1862019: 16820192020: 1092021: 1082022: 41620222023: 3442024: 3022025: 2320252026: 17

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Epogen reports recording the termmedian drug in erythropoiesis-stimulating agent

  1. Product storage errorthe product was stored wrongly26%1,121
  2. Circumstance or information capable of leading to medication errora situation that could lead to a medication error12.4%537
  3. Therapeutic response decreasedthe medicine worked less well9.3%401
  4. Haemoglobin decreasedlow haemoglobin7.8%337
  5. Anaemialow red blood cells5.3%229
  6. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected4.4%192
  7. Aplasia pure red cell4.3%187
  8. Incorrect product storagethe product was stored wrongly4.2%181
  9. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label3.7%161
  10. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term3.2%139
  11. Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way2.2%97
  12. Hospitalisationadmission to hospital2.2%96
  13. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure2.2%94
  14. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.1%91
  15. Anti-erythropoietin antibody positive1.8%76
  16. Rashskin rash1.6%70
  17. Product administration errora mistake in giving the product1.6%69
  18. Pruritusitching1.5%66
  19. Nauseafeeling sick1.5%65
  20. Medication errora mistake in prescribing, dispensing or taking a medicine1.5%64
  21. Fatiguetiredness1.5%63
  22. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction1.4%59
  23. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy1.3%56
  24. Injection site painpain where the injection was given1.3%56
  25. Pyrexiafever1.3%56
  26. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1.2%52
  27. Vomitingbeing sick1.1%48
  28. Chest painchest pain1.1%47

Top 30 of 440 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 9 drugs in the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent 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

Death5.8%252
Life-threatening0.8%35
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)18.8%810
Disability0.4%18
Congenital anomaly0.4%16
Other serious27.5%1,187
Not serious58.2%2,512

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 66,386 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 20.7%32
2 to 110.9%37
12 to 171.4%59
18 to 446.6%284
45 to 6411%473
65 to 746.2%267
75 and over5.9%255
Age not given67.4%2,910

Patient sex

Female30%1,296
Male31.3%1,352
Not given38.7%1,669

Who reported

Physician26.6%1,149
Pharmacist11.5%498
Other health professional35.1%1,517
Lawyer0.1%5
Consumer or non-health professional24.6%1,063
Not given2%85

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 93.5% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Dialysis55012.7%
Renal failure chronic54212.6%
Anaemia3257.5%
Nephrogenic anaemia2465.7%
Chronic kidney disease1523.5%
Anaemia of malignant disease591.4%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 4,317 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Epogen reports
Aranesp3808.8%
Iron1262.9%
Aspirin1252.9%
Prednisone1032.4%
Folic acid1012.3%
Venofer (iron sucrose)952.2%
Norvasc922.1%
Procrit841.9%
Lasix821.9%
Zemplar821.9%

Other products listed in reports where Epogen 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

MeasureEpogenErythropoiesis-stimulating agentAll reports
Reports as suspect product4,31766,38620,646,523
Share of that pool—6.5%0%
Reports, latest 12 months27—1,332,454
Marked serious41.8%78.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports5834091
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports188342213
Consumer-filed share24.6%22.3%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsProduct storage error 26%median 0.2%0.4%

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 erythropoiesis-stimulating agent class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Aranespbrand37,27782688.2%
Mircerabrand8,86528165.8%
Procritbrand8,2246657%
Darbepoetin alfageneric3,77029993.6%
Retacritbrand1,42910661%
Epoetin alfageneric9454391.5%
Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin betageneric911199.7%
Erythropoietingeneric6486497.2%

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 Epogen reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Epogen?

4,317 reports list Epogen as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 27 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 4,466 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Epogen reports?

product storage error (26%), circumstance or information capable of leading to medication error (12.4%), therapeutic response decreased (9.3%), haemoglobin decreased (7.8%) and intercepted product administration error (6.5%). 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 Epogen was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

41.8% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 5.8% of reports include death and 18.8% 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 (35.1%), physician (26.6%) and consumer or non-health professional (24.6%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Epogen rising?

27 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 85% from 181 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 Epogen 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 Epogen?

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 Epogen as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (4,466) 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.