OpenClaim

Defibrotide Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of defibrotide include off label use, venoocclusive disease, and death, based on 4,198 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.4% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Defibrotide side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for defibrotide.

1
Off Label Use33.0%1,385
2
Venoocclusive Disease15.0%630
3
Death11.2%470
4
Venoocclusive Liver Disease10.6%444
5
Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome9.8%413
6
Intentional Product Use Issue4.8%202
7
Hypotension4.1%172
8
Haemorrhage3.7%157
9
Sepsis3.6%151
10
Acute Graft Versus Host Disease3.5%145
11
Drug Ineffective3.4%142
12
Renal Failure3.2%133
13
Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage3.1%131
14
Septic Shock2.8%116
15
Disease Progression2.5%107

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that defibrotide caused these reactions.

Report severity

84.9%Serious3,564 reports
23.7%Hospitalizations993 reports
47.5%Fatal1,996 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Defibrotide drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside defibrotide. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Fludarabine-phosphate5.4%226
2
Busulfan4.4%186
3
Cyclophosphamide4.2%176
4
Cyclosporine4.0%168
5
Mycophenolate2.8%116
6
Methotrexate2.3%98
7
Methylprednisolone2.2%94
8
Cytarabine2.2%92
9
Thiotepa2.2%92
10
Tacrolimus1.9%81
11
Treosulfan1.7%70
12
Furosemide1.6%68
13
Amphotericin-b1.5%65
14
Rituximab1.5%63
15
Ursodiol1.5%62

Taken alongside

1
Methylprednisolone8.1%339
2
Ursodiol8.0%336
3
Cyclosporine6.7%282
4
Busulfan5.9%249
5
Heparin5.5%230
6
Cyclophosphamide4.9%204
7
Acyclovir4.7%196
8
Fludarabine-phosphate4.4%185
9
Mycophenolate4.1%171
10
Deoxycholic-acid4.0%168
11
Furosemide3.9%164
12
Tacrolimus3.1%131
13
Vancomycin2.9%123
14
Meropenem2.8%116
15
Sulfamethoxazole2.6%111

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports defibrotide side effects

22.4% of defibrotide adverse event reports involve female patients and 34.4% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 55%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female22.4%
Male34.4%
Unknown43.2%

Age group

< 28.0%
2–1118.7%
12–1710.1%
18–6454.5%
65+8.6%

What is defibrotide used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking defibrotide when the adverse event was reported.

Acute Graft Versus Host DiseaseAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Respiratory Distress SyndromeAnticoagulant TherapyAntiinflammatory TherapyAntiphospholipid SyndromeAtrial TachycardiaAcute Chest SyndromeAcute LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Respiratory Distress SyndromeAscitesAutologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell TransplantB-cell Type Acute Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 107 indications

Defibrotide brand names and reporting trend

Defibrotide is sold under the brand name Defitelio.

Brand names

Defitelio847

Quarterly reports (20042025)

2004201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking defibrotide with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.