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Vidarabine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of vidarabine include toxic encephalopathy, acute kidney injury, and pneumonia, based on 213 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.3% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Vidarabine side effects

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

1
Toxic Encephalopathy8.0%17
2
Acute Kidney Injury6.6%14
3
Pneumonia5.2%11
4
Herpes Zoster5.2%11
5
Drug Interaction4.7%10
6
Malaise4.2%9
7
Diarrhoea4.2%9
8
Encephalopathy3.8%8
9
Pyrexia3.8%8
10
Altered State Of Consciousness3.8%8
11
Dizziness3.3%7
12
Hallucination3.3%7
13
Pneumonia3.3%7
14
Febrile Neutropenia3.3%7
15
Renal Impairment3.3%7

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

Report severity

99.1%Serious211 reports
69.0%Hospitalizations147 reports
18.3%Fatal39 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Vidarabine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside vidarabine. 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
Valacyclovir-hydrochloride13.6%29
2
Acyclovir13.1%28
3
Tacrolimus5.6%12
4
Famciclovir4.7%10
5
Methotrexate4.2%9
6
Ganciclovir3.8%8
7
Methylprednisolone3.8%8
8
Cyclophosphamide3.8%8
9
Azacitidine3.8%8
10
Cyclosporine2.8%6
11
Bendamustine-hydrochloride2.8%6
12
Rituximab2.3%5
13
Acetaminophen2.3%5
14
Pentostatin2.3%5
15
Prednisolone1.9%4

Taken alongside

1
Prednisolone14.1%30
2
Acyclovir13.6%29
3
Magnesium-oxide12.2%26
4
Lansoprazole11.7%25
5
Acetaminophen11.3%24
6
Furosemide9.9%21
7
Dexamethasone8.9%19
8
Levofloxacin8.5%18
9
Aspirin7.5%16
10
Famotidine7.5%16
11
Fluconazole7.0%15
12
Nifedipine6.6%14
13
Amlodipine6.6%14
14
Methylprednisolone6.6%14
15
Sulfamethoxazole6.1%13

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 vidarabine side effects

43.7% of vidarabine adverse event reports involve female patients and 44.6% involve male patients. The largest age group is elderly at 52%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female43.7%
Male44.6%
Unknown11.7%

Age group

< 21.2%
2–114.1%
12–174.1%
18–6438.6%
65+52.0%

What is vidarabine used for

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

Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia RecurrentAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAdenoviral Haemorrhagic CystitisAdenovirus InfectionAdenoviral ConjunctivitisAngular CheilitisAntiviral ProphylaxisAntiviral TreatmentBack PainBulbospinal Muscular Atrophy CongenitalCoughCystitis HaemorrhagicCheilitisConfusional StateCough

Showing 15 of 51 indications

Vidarabine brand names and reporting trend

Vidarabine is sold under the brand name Vira-a.

Brand names

Vira-a229

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20042010201520202025

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

Taking vidarabine with another medication?

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