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Ganciclovir Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of ganciclovir include off label use, cytomegalovirus infection, and neutropenia, based on 22,769 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 10.0% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Ganciclovir side effects

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

1
Off Label Use14.1%3,211
2
Drug Ineffective10.0%2,274
3
Cytomegalovirus Infection8.5%1,931
4
Neutropenia5.2%1,173
5
Pyrexia4.4%1,007
6
Product Use In Unapproved Indication4.2%949
7
Drug Resistance4.0%905
8
Leukopenia3.9%879
9
Diarrhoea3.8%873
10
Acute Kidney Injury3.7%849
11
Cytomegalovirus Viraemia3.7%834
12
Pancytopenia3.6%813
13
Pneumonia2.9%667
14
Thrombocytopenia2.9%659
15
Anaemia2.7%614

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

Report severity

95.1%Serious21,651 reports
46.8%Hospitalizations10,645 reports
23.3%Fatal5,315 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Ganciclovir drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside ganciclovir. 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
Tacrolimus33.3%7,574
2
Mycophenolate31.0%7,063
3
Prednisone17.0%3,879
4
Methylprednisolone12.9%2,933
5
Cyclosporine10.5%2,390
6
Prednisolone9.9%2,246
7
Rituximab7.1%1,625
8
Cyclophosphamide6.0%1,369
9
Basiliximab6.0%1,365
10
Foscarnet-sodium5.7%1,287
11
Sulfamethoxazole5.0%1,140
12
Trimethoprim4.1%924
13
Fludarabine-phosphate3.6%819
14
Methotrexate3.6%810
15
Acyclovir3.2%733

Taken alongside

1
Prednisone14.0%3,191
2
Sulfamethoxazole13.9%3,176
3
Tacrolimus12.7%2,898
4
Mycophenolate12.1%2,752
5
Trimethoprim10.1%2,302
6
Methylprednisolone9.2%2,086
7
Fluconazole6.8%1,545
8
Acyclovir6.7%1,527
9
Acetaminophen6.7%1,524
10
Furosemide6.7%1,517
11
Prednisolone6.6%1,492
12
Pantoprazole-sodium5.9%1,337
13
Amlodipine5.9%1,333
14
Aspirin5.8%1,329
15
Omeprazole5.6%1,281

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 ganciclovir side effects

35.4% of ganciclovir adverse event reports involve female patients and 51.1% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 63%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female35.4%
Male51.1%
Unknown13.5%

Age group

< 24.5%
2–116.5%
12–174.5%
18–6463.4%
65+21.1%

What is ganciclovir used for

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

Abdominal DiscomfortAbscess FungalAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeActivated Pi3 Kinase Delta SyndromeAcute Graft Versus Host DiseaseAcute Graft Versus Host Disease In LiverAcute Graft Versus Host Disease In SkinAcute Hepatic FailureAcute LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Respiratory Distress SyndromeAdenoviral ConjunctivitisAdenoviral Haemorrhagic CystitisAdenovirus Infection

Showing 15 of 790 indications

Ganciclovir brand names and reporting trend

Ganciclovir is sold under brand names including Ganciclovir, Ganciclovir Sodium.

Brand names

Ganciclovir29,781
Ganciclovir Sodium889

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking ganciclovir with another medication?

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