Reported Reactions

Drugs › Somatostatin analog

Generic name

Octreotide acetate: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,227 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Somatostatin analog. Also reported as Octreotide Acetate Injection.

1,227
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 55 a year
120
reports, 12 months to June 2026
89 in the 12 months before
88.9%
marked serious by the reporter
77.3% across the class
15.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
185 reports · not verified by FDA

Between February 2004 and June 2026, 1,227 adverse event reports received by FDA list octreotide acetate, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (836) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 120 reports listed it, up 35% from 89 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 55 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 6.8% of the reports for the somatostatin analog 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 diarrhoea (10.9%), product use in unapproved indication (10.4%) and off label use (8.6%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 596 different terms appear across these reports. Diarrhoea is recorded in 10.9% of these reports, a smaller share than in the median somatostatin analog drug (15%).

88.9% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (77.3% across the class); 15.1% record death among the outcomes and 38.7% record hospitalisation, as reported. 46.7% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (26.8%). 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

01326Jul 2021: 4Aug 2021: 8Sep 2021: 6Oct 2021: 21Nov 2021: 24Dec 2021: 262022Jan 2022: 16Feb 2022: 8Mar 2022: 16Apr 2022: 14May 2022: 16Jun 2022: 15Jul 2022: 21Aug 2022: 13Sep 2022: 11Oct 2022: 20Nov 2022: 10Dec 2022: 142023Jan 2023: 16Feb 2023: 15Mar 2023: 20Apr 2023: 15May 2023: 12Jun 2023: 15Jul 2023: 13Aug 2023: 12Sep 2023: 12Oct 2023: 12Nov 2023: 18Dec 2023: 102024Jan 2024: 10Feb 2024: 15Mar 2024: 15Apr 2024: 19May 2024: 8Jun 2024: 8Jul 2024: 6Aug 2024: 10Sep 2024: 2Oct 2024: 7Nov 2024: 10Dec 2024: 142025Jan 2025: 7Feb 2025: 8Mar 2025: 4Apr 2025: 6May 2025: 4Jun 2025: 11Jul 2025: 6Aug 2025: 7Sep 2025: 8Oct 2025: 7Nov 2025: 7Dec 2025: 102026Jan 2026: 17Feb 2026: 9Mar 2026: 11Apr 2026: 10May 2026: 6Jun 2026: 22

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

0871742004: 620042005: 142006: 122007: 2620072008: 272009: 352010: 4320102011: 512012: 442013: 1620132014: 52015: 122016: 2820162017: 142018: 362019: 6220192020: 552021: 1132022: 17420222023: 1702024: 1242025: 8520252026: 75

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Octreotide acetate reports recording the termmedian drug in somatostatin analog

  1. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools10.9%134
  2. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label10.4%128
  3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label8.6%106
  4. Fatiguetiredness8.6%105
  5. Inappropriate schedule of product administrationthe product was taken at the wrong times8.6%105
  6. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain8.5%104
  7. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term8.1%100
  8. Injection site painpain where the injection was given7.6%93
  9. Nauseafeeling sick7.6%93
  10. Blood pressure increaseda raised blood pressure reading7.2%88
  11. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell6%74
  12. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy5.5%67
  13. Headachehead pain5.5%67
  14. Painpain, site not specified5.5%67
  15. Coughcough5%61
  16. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected5%61
  17. Dyspnoeashortness of breath4.8%59
  18. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness4.7%58
  19. Needle issuea problem with the needle4.7%58
  20. Back painback pain4.2%52
  21. Falla fall4.2%51
  22. Vomitingbeing sick4.2%51
  23. Weight decreasedweight loss3.9%48
  24. Arthralgiajoint pain3.8%47
  25. Hypotensionlow blood pressure3.7%46
  26. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg3.7%46
  27. Pyrexiafever3.7%46
  28. Abdominal distensiona bloated abdomen3.6%44

Top 30 of 596 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 6 drugs in the somatostatin analog 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

Death15.1%185
Life-threatening5.1%62
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)38.7%475
Disability0.7%9
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious56%687
Not serious11.1%136

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 18,073 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 22.8%34
2 to 111.6%20
12 to 170.9%11
18 to 448.5%104
45 to 6426.8%329
65 to 7416.5%202
75 and over12.6%154
Age not given30.4%373

Patient sex

Female49.3%605
Male40.3%495
Not given10.4%127

Who reported

Physician20%246
Pharmacist10.8%132
Other health professional46.7%573
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional17.5%215
Not given5%61

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 30.5% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Neuroendocrine tumour1169.5%
Acromegaly867%
Carcinoid tumour383.1%
Angiodysplasia302.4%
Diarrhoea302.4%
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour282.3%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,227 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Octreotide acetate reports
Sandostatin957.7%
Afinitor514.2%
Pantoprazole463.7%
Aspirin383.1%
Acetaminophen373%
Furosemide332.7%
Everolimus302.4%
Amlodipine262.1%
Metformin252%
Sandostatin LAR Depot221.8%

Other products listed in reports where Octreotide acetate 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

MeasureOctreotide acetateSomatostatin analogAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,22718,07320,646,523
Share of that pool—6.8%0%
Reports, latest 12 months120—1,332,454
Marked serious88.9%77.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports15119091
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports387318213
Consumer-filed share17.5%41.8%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDiarrhoea 10.9%median 15%3.1%

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 somatostatin analog class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Sandostatinbrand5,4137190.3%
Somatuline Depotbrand4,29512735.3%
Octreotidegeneric3,37236692.1%
Lanreotide acetategeneric3,00569093.9%
Signiforbrand7614273.5%

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 Octreotide acetate reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Octreotide acetate?

1,227 reports list Octreotide acetate as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 120 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 836 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Octreotide acetate reports?

diarrhoea (10.9%), product use in unapproved indication (10.4%), off label use (8.6%), fatigue (8.6%) and inappropriate schedule of product administration (8.6%). 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 Octreotide acetate was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

88.9% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 15.1% of reports include death and 38.7% 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 (46.7%), physician (20%) and consumer or non-health professional (17.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Octreotide acetate rising?

120 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 35% from 89 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 Octreotide acetate 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 Octreotide acetate?

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 Octreotide acetate as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (836) 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.