Reported Reactions

Drugs

Generic name

Trastuzumab emtansine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,689 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2011–2026.

1,689
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 113 a year
110
reports, 12 months to June 2026
73 in the 12 months before
98.3%
marked serious by the reporter
57.4% across all reports
15.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
268 reports · not verified by FDA

1,689 adverse event reports received by FDA list trastuzumab emtansine, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from July 2011 to June 2026. A further 84 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, 110 reports listed it, up 51% from 73 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 113 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 MedDRA terms listed most often are disease progression (7.8%), nausea (7.6%) and diarrhoea (6.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 404 different terms appear across these reports. Disease progression is recorded in 7.8% of these reports, against 0.6% of all reports in the database.

98.3% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter; 15.9% record death among the outcomes and 51.3% record hospitalisation, as reported. 70.6% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (48.7%). 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

01835Jul 2021: 35Aug 2021: 21Sep 2021: 16Oct 2021: 0Nov 2021: 0Dec 2021: 02022Jan 2022: 0Feb 2022: 0Mar 2022: 0Apr 2022: 0May 2022: 0Jun 2022: 0Jul 2022: 1Aug 2022: 2Sep 2022: 1Oct 2022: 0Nov 2022: 0Dec 2022: 02023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 0Mar 2023: 0Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 1Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 0Sep 2023: 3Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 0Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 0Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 3Jul 2024: 9Aug 2024: 8Sep 2024: 7Oct 2024: 6Nov 2024: 14Dec 2024: 72025Jan 2025: 5Feb 2025: 5Mar 2025: 4Apr 2025: 4May 2025: 3Jun 2025: 1Jul 2025: 2Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 5Oct 2025: 5Nov 2025: 6Dec 2025: 72026Jan 2026: 13Feb 2026: 11Mar 2026: 16Apr 2026: 12May 2026: 15Jun 2026: 18

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

01162312011: 320112012: 112013: 22820132014: 1662015: 10920152016: 1072017: 10720172018: 1612019: 16720192020: 2032021: 23120212022: 42023: 620232024: 542025: 4720252026: 85

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Trastuzumab emtansine reports recording the termall reports in the database

  1. Disease progressionthe disease advanced7.8%131
  2. Nauseafeeling sick7.6%129
  3. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools6.9%116
  4. Thrombocytopenialow platelets6.5%109
  5. Fatiguetiredness6.4%108
  6. Pyrexiafever5.5%93
  7. Pneumonialung infection5.3%90
  8. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label5.3%89
  9. Vomitingbeing sick4.6%77
  10. Headachehead pain4.4%74
  11. Neuropathy peripheralnerve damage in hands or feet4.1%70
  12. Decreased appetitereduced appetite4.1%69
  13. Dyspnoeashortness of breath4.1%69
  14. Anaemialow red blood cells4%68
  15. Platelet count decreasedlow platelet count3.8%65
  16. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term3.4%57
  17. Constipationconstipation3.3%55
  18. Aspartate aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (AST)3%50
  19. Coughcough3%50
  20. Urinary tract infectionbladder or urinary infection2.9%49
  21. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell2.8%48
  22. Painpain, site not specified2.8%48
  23. Alanine aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (ALT)2.5%42
  24. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy2.5%42
  25. Hypokalaemialow blood potassium2.4%41
  26. Pulmonary embolisma blood clot in the lung2.1%35
  27. Pleural effusionfluid around the lung1.9%32

Top 30 of 404 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

Death15.9%268
Life-threatening3.6%61
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)51.3%867
Disability1.8%30
Congenital anomaly0.2%3
Other serious51.5%869
Not serious1.7%28

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 20.1%1
2 to 110%0
12 to 170%0
18 to 4413.3%224
45 to 6448.7%823
65 to 7413.2%223
75 and over5.2%87
Age not given19.6%331

Patient sex

Female85.6%1,445
Male3.8%64
Not given10.7%180

Who reported

Physician70.6%1,192
Pharmacist0.9%15
Other health professional24%406
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional4.2%71
Not given0.3%5

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 14.9% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Breast cancer43525.8%
Her-2 positive breast cancer36221.4%
Breast cancer metastatic31518.7%
Her2 positive breast cancer1297.6%
Neoplasm malignant332%
Her-2 positive gastric cancer150.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,689 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Trastuzumab emtansine reports
Trastuzumab65738.9%
Pertuzumab56733.6%
Docetaxel42024.9%
Capecitabine28216.7%
Dexamethasone22813.5%
Paclitaxel19711.7%
Paracetamol18911.2%
Loperamide1438.5%
Lansoprazole1358%
Cyclophosphamide1337.9%

Other products listed in reports where Trastuzumab emtansine 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

MeasureTrastuzumab emtansineAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,68920,646,523
Share of that pool—0%
Reports, latest 12 months1101,332,454
Marked serious98.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports15991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports513213
Consumer-filed share4.2%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDisease progression 7.8%0.6%

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 Trastuzumab emtansine reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Trastuzumab emtansine?

1,689 reports list Trastuzumab emtansine as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 110 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 84 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Trastuzumab emtansine reports?

disease progression (7.8%), nausea (7.6%), diarrhoea (6.9%), thrombocytopenia (6.5%) and fatigue (6.4%). 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 Trastuzumab emtansine was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

98.3% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 15.9% of reports include death and 51.3% 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 (70.6%), other health professional (24%) and consumer or non-health professional (4.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Trastuzumab emtansine rising?

110 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 51% from 73 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 Trastuzumab emtansine 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 Trastuzumab emtansine?

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 Trastuzumab emtansine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (84) 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.