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This page presents data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the FDA-approved drug label. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event. Always consult a healthcare provider about medications.

Gemcitabine (gemcitabine hydrochloride)

Last updated: June 19, 2026
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Gemcitabine is the brand name for gemcitabine hydrochloride. According to the FDA-approved label, Gemcitabine Injection is a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor indicated: • in combination with carboplatin, for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least 6 months after completion of platinum-based therapy. FAERS contains 51,462 submissions naming this drug from 2004 through 2026; the top three reactions cited are disease progression, off label use, and thrombocytopenia.

Most-Reported Reactions

Counts of the reactions most often cited in FAERS submissions that named Gemcitabine. Inclusion here does not establish causation - submitters describe what was observed, not what was confirmed. One submission can list several reactions, so the totals exceed the report count.

DISEASE PROGRESSION 4,753 (9.2%) OFF LABEL USE 3,975 (7.7%) THROMBOCYTOPENIA 3,628 (7.0%) NEUTROPENIA 3,230 (6.3%) ANAEMIA 3,033 (5.9%) MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 2,821 (5.5%) DRUG INEFFECTIVE 2,693 (5.2%) PYREXIA 2,566 (5.0%) NAUSEA 2,565 (5.0%) DIARRHOEA 2,075 (4.0%) VOMITING 2,067 (4.0%) FATIGUE 2,054 (4.0%) DEATH 1,938 (3.8%) FEBRILE NEUTROPENIA 1,802 (3.5%) DYSPNOEA 1,591 (3.1%)

Patient Demographics

Patient sex and age across the FAERS submissions that named Gemcitabine. Percentages here are computed only from submissions where these fields were filled in - many leave them blank.

By Sex

Female Male Unknown

By Age Group

0-17 18-44 45-64 65+

Severity Outcomes

Severity flags recorded across the 51,462 FAERS submissions that named Gemcitabine. Each bar shows the count of those reports carrying that flag. A single case can carry more than one (a hospitalization that became life-threatening, for example), so these bars are independent rates - they don't sum to 100%. Inclusion of a case under any flag does not establish that the drug caused the outcome.

DEATH 9,784 (19.0%) HOSPITALIZATION 20,593 (40.0%) LIFE-THREATENING 3,936 (7.6%) DISABLING 653 (1.3%)

Submissions Per Quarter

Quarterly count of FAERS submissions that named Gemcitabine. Ups and downs on this chart can track prescribing volume, news cycles, or shifts in how reports get filed, rather than the drug becoming safer or more dangerous.

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

From the FDA-Approved Label

Excerpts from the official FDA-approved prescribing information for Gemcitabine. This is the authoritative source on indications, warnings, and known adverse reactions.

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Gemcitabine Injection is a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor indicated: • in combination with carboplatin, for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least 6 months after completion of platinum-based therapy. ( 1.1 ) • in combination with paclitaxel, for first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer after failure of prior anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy, unless anthracyclines were clinically contraindicated. ( 1.2 ) • in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. ( 1.3 ) • as a single agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. ( 1.4 ) 1.1 Ovarian Cancer Gemcitabine Injection in combination with carboplatin is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least 6 months after completion of platinum-based therapy. 1.2 Breast Cancer Gemcitabine Injection in combination with paclitaxel is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer after failure of prior anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy, unless anthracyclines were clinically contraindicated. 1. (continues in label)

Adverse Reactions (from label)

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Hypersensitivity [see Contraindications (4) ] • Schedule-Dependent Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] • Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] • Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] • Pulmonary Toxicity and Respiratory Failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] • Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] • Hepatic Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] • Exacerbation of Radiation Therapy Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] • Capillary Leak Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] • Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] The most common adverse reactions for the single agent (≥20%) are nausea/vomiting, anemia, increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST), increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT), neutropenia, increased alkaline phosphatase, proteinuria, fever, hematuria, rash, thrombocytopenia, dyspnea, and edema. ( 6. (continues in label)

FDA label effective date: 2024-11-11

Disclaimer

AdverseEvent.ai is not affiliated with the FDA. Adverse-event counts come from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Drug labels come from the FDA drug label dataset. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event — always consult a healthcare provider about medications. This site is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.