Reported Reactions

Drugs

Product name as reported

Ribasphere: adverse event reports filed with FDA

5,006 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2020.

5,006
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 228 a year
0
reports, 12 months to June 2026
0 in the 12 months before
34.6%
marked serious by the reporter
57.4% across all reports
0.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
47 reports · not verified by FDA

5,006 adverse event reports received by FDA list the product name "Ribasphere" as reporters wrote it as a suspect or interacting product, from July 2004 to January 2020. A further 1,915 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, 0 reports listed it, and none 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 228 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database. 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 fatigue (26.8%), nausea (18.9%) and headache (12.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 773 different terms appear across these reports. Fatigue is recorded in 26.8% of these reports, against 3.7% of all reports in the database.

34.6% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter; 0.9% record death among the outcomes and 12.9% record hospitalisation, as reported. 58.1% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (42.4%). 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

No report listing Ribasphere was received in the five years to June 2026; the latest was received in January 2020.

By year received

09681,9352004: 2220042005: 1572006: 18320062007: 752008: 8820082009: 1092010: 16220102011: 992012: 70620122013: 7702014: 18520142015: 1,9352016: 34020162017: 982018: 6020182019: 162020: 12020

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Ribasphere reports recording the termall reports in the database

  1. Fatiguetiredness26.8%1,340
  2. Nauseafeeling sick18.9%947
  3. Headachehead pain12.8%643
  4. Anaemialow red blood cells11.5%575
  5. Insomniadifficulty sleeping9.4%470
  6. Vomitingbeing sick9.2%459
  7. Rashskin rash8.6%433
  8. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools8%399
  9. White blood cell count decreasedlow white cell count8%398
  10. Pruritusitching7.8%389
  11. Dyspnoeashortness of breath7.7%384
  12. Weight decreasedweight loss7.6%378
  13. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness7.4%372
  14. Influenza like illnessflu-like symptoms7.4%372
  15. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy7.2%358
  16. Depressionlow mood7.2%358
  17. Decreased appetitereduced appetite6.9%346
  18. Painpain, site not specified6.5%326
  19. Pyrexiafever6.3%314
  20. Chillschills or shivering5.3%266
  21. Alopeciahair loss4.7%233
  22. Platelet count decreasedlow platelet count4.5%224
  23. Haemoglobin decreasedlow haemoglobin4.1%206
  24. Anxietyanxiety4.1%205
  25. Dysgeusiaaltered taste4%198
  26. Arthralgiajoint pain3.8%191
  27. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell3.5%175
  28. Irritabilityirritability3.1%157
  29. Back painback pain3%148

Top 30 of 773 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 share of all reports in the database; 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

Death0.9%47
Life-threatening1.2%62
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)12.9%644
Disability1.8%89
Congenital anomaly0.1%5
Other serious23.8%1,190
Not serious65.4%3,273

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 20,646,523 reports. 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%0
2 to 110%0
12 to 170.1%3
18 to 447.7%386
45 to 6442.4%2,122
65 to 743.3%164
75 and over0.3%15
Age not given46.3%2,316

Patient sex

Female48.1%2,407
Male51.3%2,566
Not given0.7%33

Who reported

Physician11.2%559
Pharmacist8.9%448
Other health professional16%799
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional58.1%2,909
Not given5.8%291

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 97.7% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Hepatitis c2,63652.7%
Chronic hepatitis c1,01520.3%
Hepatitis410.8%
Hepatitis c virus120.2%
Chronic hepatitis70.1%
Acute hepatitis c50.1%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 5,006 reports.

In context

MeasureRibasphereAll reports
Reports as suspect product5,00620,646,523
Share of that pool—0%
Reports, latest 12 months01,332,454
Marked serious34.6%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports129213
Consumer-filed share58.1%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsFatigue 26.8%3.7%

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."

Questions about Ribasphere reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Ribasphere?

5,006 reports list Ribasphere as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 0 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,915 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Ribasphere reports?

fatigue (26.8%), nausea (18.9%), headache (12.8%), anaemia (11.5%) and insomnia (9.4%). 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 Ribasphere was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

34.6% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 0.9% of reports include death and 12.9% 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?

consumer or non-health professional (58.1%), other health professional (16%) and physician (11.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Ribasphere rising?

0 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, and none 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 Ribasphere 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 Ribasphere?

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 Ribasphere as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,915) 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.