Reported Reactions

Drugs › Poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase inhibitor

Generic name

Olaparib: adverse event reports filed with FDA

5,674 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2012–2026. Class: Poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase inhibitor.

5,674
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 394 a year
1,636
reports, 12 months to June 2026
1,457 in the 12 months before
96.8%
marked serious by the reporter
72.3% across the class
20.3%
record death among outcomes, as reported
1,152 reports · not verified by FDA

Between February 2012 and June 2026, 5,674 adverse event reports received by FDA list olaparib, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (393) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 1,636 reports listed it, up 12% from 1,457 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 394 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 10.9% of the reports for the poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase inhibitor class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded death (12.9%), fatigue (11.4%) and nausea (9.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 762 different terms appear across these reports. Death is recorded in 12.9% of these reports, a larger share than in the median poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase inhibitor drug (7.1%).

96.8% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (72.3% across the class); 20.3% record death among the outcomes and 24.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 40.2% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (21.1%). 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

0101202Jul 2021: 19Aug 2021: 31Sep 2021: 31Oct 2021: 44Nov 2021: 65Dec 2021: 472022Jan 2022: 15Feb 2022: 30Mar 2022: 74Apr 2022: 47May 2022: 28Jun 2022: 32Jul 2022: 28Aug 2022: 37Sep 2022: 48Oct 2022: 24Nov 2022: 45Dec 2022: 422023Jan 2023: 18Feb 2023: 18Mar 2023: 33Apr 2023: 28May 2023: 33Jun 2023: 28Jul 2023: 30Aug 2023: 36Sep 2023: 44Oct 2023: 39Nov 2023: 60Dec 2023: 462024Jan 2024: 49Feb 2024: 26Mar 2024: 40Apr 2024: 44May 2024: 45Jun 2024: 32Jul 2024: 70Aug 2024: 58Sep 2024: 27Oct 2024: 73Nov 2024: 187Dec 2024: 1442025Jan 2025: 159Feb 2025: 135Mar 2025: 131Apr 2025: 202May 2025: 156Jun 2025: 115Jul 2025: 141Aug 2025: 113Sep 2025: 110Oct 2025: 135Nov 2025: 101Dec 2025: 1662026Jan 2026: 133Feb 2026: 136Mar 2026: 173Apr 2026: 141May 2026: 110Jun 2026: 177

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

08321,6642012: 220122014: 52015: 10720152016: 1222017: 17120172018: 2212019: 20620192020: 2832021: 36520212022: 4502023: 41320232024: 7952025: 1,66420252026: 870

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Olaparib reports recording the termmedian drug in poly(adp-ribose) polymerase inhibitor

  1. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term12.9%733
  2. Fatiguetiredness11.4%648
  3. Nauseafeeling sick9.9%564
  4. Anaemialow red blood cells8%455
  5. Neuropathy peripheralnerve damage in hands or feet7%399
  6. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.7%268
  7. Disease progressionthe disease advanced4.3%245
  8. Vomitingbeing sick4.3%242
  9. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy3.9%222
  10. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.6%207
  11. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected3.2%181
  12. Constipationconstipation3%173
  13. Decreased appetitereduced appetite2.9%166
  14. Thrombocytopenialow platelets2.8%161
  15. Product dose omission issuea dose was missed2.4%136
  16. Renal impairmentreduced kidney function2.3%133
  17. Arthralgiajoint pain2.3%130
  18. Painpain, site not specified2.3%128
  19. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.1%121
  20. Headachehead pain2%114
  21. Haemoglobin decreasedlow haemoglobin1.9%106
  22. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances1.8%103
  23. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell1.7%99
  24. Pancytopenialow counts of all blood cells1.6%91
  25. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.5%87
  26. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label1.5%86

Top 30 of 762 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 poly(adp-ribose) polymerase 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

Death20.3%1,152
Life-threatening4.2%236
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)24.8%1,406
Disability1%57
Congenital anomaly0.1%3
Other serious70%3,974
Not serious3.2%182

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 52,093 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 20.1%3
2 to 110.1%4
12 to 170.2%9
18 to 446.9%390
45 to 6421.1%1,195
65 to 7414.1%802
75 and over6.7%382
Age not given50.9%2,889

Patient sex

Female68.7%3,896
Male25.1%1,423
Not given6.3%355

Who reported

Physician40.2%2,281
Pharmacist2%114
Other health professional17.2%975
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional36.3%2,059
Not given4.3%245

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 52% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Ovarian cancer1,47125.9%
Prostate cancer2764.9%
Breast cancer2464.3%
Hormone-refractory prostate cancer1332.3%
Neoplasm malignant1142%
Breast cancer female921.6%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 5,674 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Olaparib reports
Carboplatin5479.6%
Paclitaxel4578.1%
Bevacizumab4227.4%
Gemcitabine1743.1%
Pembrolizumab1602.8%
Docetaxel1532.7%
Durvalumab1282.3%
Cisplatin1152%
Avastin991.7%
Temozolomide901.6%

Other products listed in reports where Olaparib 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

MeasureOlaparibPoly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product5,67452,09320,646,523
Share of that pool—10.9%0%
Reports, latest 12 months1,636—1,332,454
Marked serious96.8%72.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports20315491
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports248201213
Consumer-filed share36.3%49.5%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDeath 12.9%median 7.1%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 poly(adp-ribose) polymerase inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Zejulabrand15,54049959.5%
Lynparzabrand14,39996889.4%
Rubracabrand8,3128140.7%
Niraparibgeneric6,48216981.7%
Talzennabrand89320667.5%
Talazoparibgeneric7938795.8%

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 Olaparib reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Olaparib?

5,674 reports list Olaparib as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 1,636 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 393 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Olaparib reports?

death (12.9%), fatigue (11.4%), nausea (9.9%), malignant neoplasm progression (8.4%) and anaemia (8%). 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 Olaparib was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

96.8% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 20.3% of reports include death and 24.8% 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?

physician (40.2%), consumer or non-health professional (36.3%) and other health professional (17.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Olaparib rising?

1,636 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 12% from 1,457 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 Olaparib 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 Olaparib?

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 Olaparib as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (393) 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.