Reported Reactions

Drugs › Anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor

Generic name

Idarubicin hydrochloride: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,456 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor. Also reported as Idarubicin Hcl.

2,456
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 109 a year
112
reports, 12 months to June 2026
142 in the 12 months before
98.1%
marked serious by the reporter
97% across the class
31%
record death among outcomes, as reported
762 reports · not verified by FDA

2,456 adverse event reports received by FDA list idarubicin hydrochloride, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 431 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, 112 reports listed it, down 21% from 142 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 109 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 2.2% of the reports for the anthracycline topoisomerase 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 (14.5%), myelosuppression (7%) and pyrexia (5.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 506 different terms appear across these reports. Febrile neutropenia is recorded in 14.5% of these reports, a larger share than in the median anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor drug (10.4%).

98.1% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (97% across the class); 31% record death among the outcomes and 36.4% record hospitalisation, as reported. 45.7% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (29.4%). 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

01631Jul 2021: 17Aug 2021: 21Sep 2021: 7Oct 2021: 17Nov 2021: 5Dec 2021: 132022Jan 2022: 14Feb 2022: 9Mar 2022: 20Apr 2022: 8May 2022: 10Jun 2022: 8Jul 2022: 11Aug 2022: 8Sep 2022: 12Oct 2022: 9Nov 2022: 16Dec 2022: 192023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 24Mar 2023: 14Apr 2023: 3May 2023: 13Jun 2023: 8Jul 2023: 31Aug 2023: 16Sep 2023: 16Oct 2023: 5Nov 2023: 25Dec 2023: 102024Jan 2024: 10Feb 2024: 6Mar 2024: 9Apr 2024: 9May 2024: 10Jun 2024: 12Jul 2024: 12Aug 2024: 9Sep 2024: 17Oct 2024: 9Nov 2024: 12Dec 2024: 92025Jan 2025: 14Feb 2025: 6Mar 2025: 14Apr 2025: 16May 2025: 11Jun 2025: 13Jul 2025: 20Aug 2025: 7Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 14Nov 2025: 8Dec 2025: 42026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 16Mar 2026: 9Apr 2026: 9May 2026: 6Jun 2026: 14

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

0981952004: 3820042005: 492006: 402007: 7420072008: 1532009: 762010: 11320102011: 1552012: 1632013: 3120132014: 312015: 732016: 9120162017: 1042018: 1952019: 16320192020: 1332021: 1492022: 14420222023: 1712024: 1242025: 13020252026: 56

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

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

  1. Febrile neutropeniafever with low white blood cells14.5%355
  2. Pyrexiafever5.9%146
  3. Pneumonialung infection5.6%138
  4. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell5.3%130
  5. Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection4.9%120
  6. Pancytopenialow counts of all blood cells3.7%90
  7. Thrombocytopenialow platelets3.4%84
  8. Septic shockshock arising from infection3.4%83
  9. Infectionan infection, type not specified3.3%80
  10. White blood cell count decreasedlow white cell count3.2%78
  11. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term3.1%75
  12. Platelet count decreasedlow platelet count2.9%71
  13. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label2.7%67
  14. Respiratory failurethe lungs could not supply enough oxygen2.3%57
  15. Fungal infectiona fungal infection2.2%55
  16. Nauseafeeling sick2.1%51
  17. Anaemialow red blood cells1.9%46
  18. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools1.9%46
  19. Vomitingbeing sick1.8%43
  20. Pleural effusionfluid around the lung1.4%35

Top 30 of 506 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

Death31%762
Life-threatening12.6%310
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)36.4%895
Disability1.4%34
Congenital anomaly0%1
Other serious56.2%1,381
Not serious1.9%46

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

Patient age

Under 21.1%26
2 to 114.4%109
12 to 173.2%78
18 to 4421.1%519
45 to 6429.4%723
65 to 7411.8%290
75 and over2.6%64
Age not given26.3%647

Patient sex

Female35.9%882
Male45.5%1,118
Not given18.6%456

Who reported

Physician39.1%960
Pharmacist2.8%68
Other health professional45.7%1,122
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional5.8%143
Not given6.6%163

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 16.9% 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 leukaemia1,10845.1%
Acute promyelocytic leukaemia1978%
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia1636.6%
Chemotherapy632.6%
Acute leukaemia361.5%
Myelodysplastic syndrome281.1%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,456 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Idarubicin hydrochloride reports
Cytarabine96839.4%
Etoposide27011%
Tretinoin1656.7%
Methotrexate1576.4%
Cyclophosphamide1255.1%
Fludarabine phosphate1225%
Mitoxantrone1054.3%
Fludarabine933.8%
Dexamethasone853.5%
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin763.1%

Other products listed in reports where Idarubicin 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

MeasureIdarubicin hydrochlorideAnthracycline topoisomerase inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,456109,83220,646,523
Share of that pool—2.2%0%
Reports, latest 12 months112—1,332,454
Marked serious98.1%97%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports31019991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports364362213
Consumer-filed share5.8%5.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsFebrile neutropenia 14.5%median 10.4%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 anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Doxorubicingeneric54,4014,87997.9%
Doxorubicin hydrochloridegeneric35,9132,17296.9%
Epirubicin hydrochloridegeneric6,41159499.3%
Doxilbrand4,9212889.5%
Daunorubicin hydrochloridegeneric3,43111896.2%
Vyxeosbrand2,29956187.4%

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 Idarubicin hydrochloride reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Idarubicin hydrochloride?

2,456 reports list Idarubicin hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 112 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 431 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Idarubicin hydrochloride reports?

febrile neutropenia (14.5%), myelosuppression (7%), pyrexia (5.9%), pneumonia (5.6%) and neutropenia (5.3%). 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 Idarubicin hydrochloride was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

98.1% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 31% of reports include death and 36.4% 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 (45.7%), physician (39.1%) and not given (6.6%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Idarubicin hydrochloride rising?

112 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 21% from 142 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 Idarubicin hydrochloride 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 Idarubicin hydrochloride?

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 Idarubicin hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (431) 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.