Reported Reactions

Drugs › Human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor

Brand name · Abacavir sulfate

Ziagen: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,554 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor.

1,554
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 69 a year
7
reports, 12 months to June 2026
8 in the 12 months before
90.3%
marked serious by the reporter
84.3% across the class
10.6%
record death among outcomes, as reported
165 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 1,554 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Ziagen (abacavir sulfate) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (1,202) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 7 reports listed it, down 12% from 8 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 69 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 1.9% of the reports for the human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor class. 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 pyrexia (12.2%), nausea (6.3%) and diarrhoea (5.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 631 different terms appear across these reports. Pyrexia is recorded in 12.2% of these reports, a larger share than in the median human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor drug (2%).

90.3% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (84.3% across the class); 10.6% record death among the outcomes and 42.7% record hospitalisation, as reported. 37.5% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (27.3%). 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

036Jul 2021: 0Aug 2021: 2Sep 2021: 0Oct 2021: 3Nov 2021: 6Dec 2021: 12022Jan 2022: 1Feb 2022: 0Mar 2022: 6Apr 2022: 2May 2022: 1Jun 2022: 1Jul 2022: 2Aug 2022: 4Sep 2022: 0Oct 2022: 2Nov 2022: 1Dec 2022: 12023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 2Mar 2023: 4Apr 2023: 1May 2023: 0Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 2Aug 2023: 2Sep 2023: 0Oct 2023: 0Nov 2023: 3Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 1Mar 2024: 0Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 0Jul 2024: 2Aug 2024: 0Sep 2024: 1Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 3Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 2Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 0Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 12026Jan 2026: 1Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 2Apr 2026: 1May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 2

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

0721442004: 11920042005: 1442006: 1212007: 7620072008: 1232009: 1012010: 8920102011: 592012: 712013: 6620132014: 772015: 922016: 8620162017: 682018: 492019: 7920192020: 442021: 392022: 2120222023: 142024: 42025: 620252026: 6

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Ziagen reports recording the termmedian drug in human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor

  1. Pyrexiafever12.2%189
  2. Nauseafeeling sick6.3%98
  3. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools5.8%90
  4. Rashskin rash5.1%80
  5. Vomitingbeing sick4.8%75
  6. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain4.2%65
  7. Renal impairmentreduced kidney function4.1%64
  8. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction3.9%60
  9. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine3.6%56
  10. Lipodystrophy acquiredchanges in body fat distribution3.6%56
  11. Fatiguetiredness3.4%53
  12. Renal failurekidney failure3.3%51
  13. Myocardial infarctionheart attack3.2%50
  14. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell3.2%49
  15. Headachehead pain3.1%48
  16. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.9%45
  17. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy2.8%44
  18. Myalgiamuscle pain2.7%42
  19. Anaemialow red blood cells2.6%40
  20. Drug exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy2.6%40
  21. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.3%36
  22. Pruritusitching2.3%36
  23. Blood creatinine increasedraised creatinine, a kidney test2.3%35
  24. Mitochondrial toxicity2.2%34
  25. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine2.1%33
  26. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure2.1%33
  27. Alanine aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (ALT)2%31
  28. Aspartate aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (AST)1.7%26
  29. Hepatitis1.7%26

Top 30 of 631 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 13 drugs in the human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase 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

Death10.6%165
Life-threatening6.2%97
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)42.7%664
Disability4.4%68
Congenital anomaly4.2%66
Other serious54.6%848
Not serious9.7%150

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 80,988 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 22.1%32
2 to 111.7%26
12 to 171%15
18 to 4427%420
45 to 6427.3%424
65 to 744.3%67
75 and over1.3%20
Age not given35.4%550

Patient sex

Female24.2%376
Male63.1%980
Not given12.7%198

Who reported

Physician33.5%520
Pharmacist4.6%71
Other health professional19.2%298
Lawyer0.1%1
Consumer or non-health professional37.5%582
Not given5.3%82

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 20.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Hiv infection1,01565.3%
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome442.8%
Antiretroviral therapy191.2%
Antiviral treatment110.7%
Drug exposure during pregnancy40.3%
Maternal exposure timing unspecified40.3%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,554 reports.

In context

MeasureZiagenHuman immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,55480,98820,646,523
Share of that pool—1.9%0%
Reports, latest 12 months7—1,332,454
Marked serious90.3%84.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports1066691
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports427167213
Consumer-filed share37.5%18.9%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsPyrexia 12.2%median 2%1.6%

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."

Other drugs in the human immunodeficiency virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Truvadabrand38,63884485.7%
Zidovudinegeneric8,51012195%
Biktarvybrand6,73967754.7%
Complerabrand6,5359586.9%
Emtricitabinegeneric3,8707397.7%
Abacavirgeneric3,86710895.3%
Emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarategeneric3,518598%
Descovybrand3,12331846.3%
Retrovirbrand2,0261193.7%
Odefseybrand1,0353351.9%
Abacavir sulfategeneric8406698%
Emtrivabrand733994.3%

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 Ziagen reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Ziagen?

1,554 reports list Ziagen as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 7 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,202 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Ziagen reports?

pyrexia (12.2%), nausea (6.3%), diarrhoea (5.8%), rash (5.1%) and vomiting (4.8%). 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 Ziagen was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

90.3% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 10.6% of reports include death and 42.7% 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?

consumer or non-health professional (37.5%), physician (33.5%) and other health professional (19.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Ziagen rising?

7 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 12% from 8 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 Ziagen 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 Ziagen?

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 Ziagen as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,202) 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.