Drugs › Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent
Generic name
Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta: adverse event reports filed with FDA
911 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2008–2025. Class: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent.
- 911
- reports as suspect product
- 0% of all reports · about 49 a year
- 1
- reports, 12 months to June 2026
- 2 in the 12 months before
- 99.7%
- marked serious by the reporter
- 78.3% across the class
- 39.7%
- record death among outcomes, as reported
- 362 reports · not verified by FDA
Between January 2008 and July 2025, 911 adverse event reports received by FDA list methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (81) are left out of every figure here.
In the 12 months to June 2026, 1 report listed it, down 50% from 2 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 49 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 1.4% 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 death (8.5%), hypertension (7.7%) and haemoglobin decreased (6%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 185 different terms appear across these reports. Death is recorded in 8.5% of these reports, about the same share as in the median erythropoiesis-stimulating agent drug (8.5%).
99.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (78.3% across the class); 39.7% record death among the outcomes and 55.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 82.9% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 75 and over (27.2%). 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
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
Reactions recorded in the reports
share of Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta reports recording the termmedian drug in erythropoiesis-stimulating agent
- Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term8.5%77
- Hypertensionhigh blood pressure7.7%70
- Haemoglobin decreasedlow haemoglobin6%55
- Pneumonialung infection5.8%53
- Anaemialow red blood cells4%36
- Cardiac failureheart failure3.7%34
- Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection3.2%29
- Renal impairmentreduced kidney function3.1%28
- Falla fall2.7%25
- Gastrointestinal haemorrhagebleeding in the stomach or bowel2%18
- Atrial fibrillationan irregular heart rhythm1.9%17
- Myocardial infarctionheart attack1.9%17
- Angina pectoris1.8%16
- Pyrexiafever1.8%16
- Renal failurekidney failure1.8%16
- Cardiac failure congestivecongestive heart failure1.6%15
- Decreased appetitereduced appetite1.5%14
- Hyperkalaemiahigh blood potassium1.5%14
- Platelet count decreasedlow platelet count1.4%13
- Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped1.3%12
- Cerebral haemorrhage1.3%12
- Renal failure chronic1.3%12
- Arrhythmia1.2%11
- Chest painchest pain1.2%11
- Infectionan infection, type not specified1.2%11
- Urinary tract infectionbladder or urinary infection1.2%11
- Multi-organ failure1.1%10
- Cardio-respiratory arrestthe heart and breathing stopped1%9
Top 30 of 185 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
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
Patient sex
Who reported
Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 2% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.
Reason for use recorded
| Indication as recorded (MedDRA) | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nephrogenic anaemia | 583 | 64% |
| Renal failure chronic | 19 | 2.1% |
| Anaemia | 13 | 1.4% |
| Renal failure | 2 | 0.2% |
The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 911 reports.
In context
| Measure | Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta | Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent | All reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reports as suspect product | 911 | 66,386 | 20,646,523 |
| Share of that pool | — | 1.4% | 0% |
| Reports, latest 12 months | 1 | — | 1,332,454 |
| Marked serious | 99.7% | 78.3% | 57.4% |
| Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports | 397 | 340 | 91 |
| Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports | 552 | 342 | 213 |
| Consumer-filed share | 12% | 22.3% | 45.8% |
| Top term, share of reports | Death 8.5% | median 8.5% | 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 erythropoiesis-stimulating agent class
| Drug | Name type | Reports | Latest 12 months | Marked serious |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aranesp | brand | 37,277 | 826 | 88.2% |
| Mircera | brand | 8,865 | 281 | 65.8% |
| Procrit | brand | 8,224 | 66 | 57% |
| Epogen | brand | 4,317 | 27 | 41.8% |
| Darbepoetin alfa | generic | 3,770 | 299 | 93.6% |
| Retacrit | brand | 1,429 | 106 | 61% |
| Epoetin alfa | generic | 945 | 43 | 91.5% |
| Erythropoietin | generic | 648 | 64 | 97.2% |
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 Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta reports
How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta?
911 reports list Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 1 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 81 list it only as a concomitant medication.
What reactions are recorded in Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta reports?
death (8.5%), hypertension (7.7%), haemoglobin decreased (6%), pneumonia (5.8%) and anaemia (4%). 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 Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta was responsible.
How serious are the reports?
99.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 39.7% of reports include death and 55.2% 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 (82.9%), consumer or non-health professional (12%) and other health professional (4.1%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.
Are reports for Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta rising?
1 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 50% from 2 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 Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta 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 Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta?
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 Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (81) 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.