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Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil side effects: what 45,339 FDA adverse event reports show

Emtricitabine And Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate · 1,184 reaction terms · 209,857 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nucleoside Analog Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor

FDA label (Established Pharmacologic Class) of the closest related product

Label matched

Emtricitabine (Emtricitabine)

closest FDA label found for this product string; brand list suppressed because the label is a related product, not an exact match

Who reports

45,339 reports · 84% serious · 1,830 with death outcome · 29% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Emtricitabine capsules are indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Emtricitabine, a nucleoside analog HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. ( 1 )

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Emtricitabine (FTC) is a synthetic nucleoside analog with activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase.

FDA label, Description section

Boxed warning

POSTTREATMENT ACUTE EXACERBATION OF HEPATITIS B Severe acute exacerbations of hepatitis B (HBV) have been reported in patients who are coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV and have discontinued emtricitabine. Hepatic functi.

FDA label
How to read this page. FAERS is a spontaneous-reporting system: counts are not incidence rates and a signal is not proof of causation. Each reaction below is run through an automated screen — is the term in the FDA label (known), in the indications (the disease being treated), an administrative/coding term, or none of these (unlabeled)? That screen is mechanical text matching, not a causality assessment. The 30 hand-written Bradford Hill assessments are on the causality assessment page. Not medical advice.

Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals

Labeled — boxed warning 1Labeled (related wording) 1Likely indication confounding 1Reporting / coding artifact 1Lab value / disease marker 5Not in label — unassessed 31
What the badges mean

Strongest disproportionality signals

Flagged terms (PRR ≥ 2, χ² ≥ 4, n ≥ 10), ranked by PRR; infinite PRRs (no comparator reports) excluded. The EBGM column is a second, shrinkage-based estimate (MGPS) with its 5th percentile EB05 and the BCPNN IC025; a pair flagged by PRR alone is marked PRR-only and should be read as fragile. The strata column recomputes the PRR on serious reports only (and, for the 300 most-reported drugs, adjusted for age band), and flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers. Each row also shows the PRR against the other drugs of the same FDA class, which removes most confounding by the condition being treated, and a calibrated p-value: on validation, known non-causes average an ROR of about 2, so significance is judged against that empirical null (✓ = p < 0.05 after calibration). 1,144 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.

Show:
ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Skeletal injury7,1761,036.4
994.9–1,079.6ROR 1,231.1 · calibrated p 2e-18 ✓
316.8 EB05 310.7 · IC025 +8.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 221.6 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bone loss9,107705.6
683.8–728.2ROR 882.7 · calibrated p 1e-16 ✓
277.2 EB05 272.5 · IC025 +8.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 202.6 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bone demineralisation636702.9
621.2–795.4ROR 712.9 · calibrated p 1e-15 ✓
274.7 EB05 257.2 · IC025 +7.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=557not reported in cached trials
Ultrasound antenatal screen51540.1
360.0–810.3ROR 540.7 · calibrated p 2e-13 ✓
226.6 EB05 179.1 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=51 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Bone density decreased16,608516.1
505.8–526.6ROR 813.8 · calibrated p 3e-16 ✓
242.4 EB05 239.3 · IC025 +7.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 184.4 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Cloacal exstrophy30471.1
282.8–784.7ROR 471.4 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓
202.3 EB05 148.5 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=30 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Multiple fractures8,185456.1
443.0–469.7ROR 556.4 · calibrated p 2e-14 ✓
228.3 EB05 224.1 · IC025 +7.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 165.8 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Tooth injury2,090427.2
402.7–453.1ROR 447.8 · calibrated p 2e-13 ✓
220.4 EB05 212.6 · IC025 +7.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=2,064 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bladder agenesis31328.3
206.9–520.9ROR 328.5 · calibrated p 4e-11 ✓
171.2 EB05 126.3 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=31 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Tooth loss8,153298.1
290.4–306.1ROR 363.2 · calibrated p 1e-12 ✓
180.5 EB05 177.2 · IC025 +7.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 130.2 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Acute hiv infection91272.6
210.3–353.4ROR 273.2 · calibrated p 5e-11 ✓
165.0 EB05 138.5 · IC025 +6.1
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious n=91 · ♀ 6% (drug 29%)NCT00557245: 1/1,584 (0.1%) on Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil; 1/1,584 (0.1%) control (serious AE)
Protein total abnormal449243.1
216.9–272.5ROR 245.5 · calibrated p 7e-11 ✓
157.8 EB05 145.9 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=437 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Aids encephalopathy18204.9
117.5–357.4ROR 205.0 · calibrated p 5e-9 ✓
123.4 EB05 82.6 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=18not reported in cached trials
Osteonecrosis (bone death)9,161177.1
173.2–181.1ROR 221.7 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓
127.8 EB05 125.6 · IC025 +7.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 87.8 · 87% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bone density abnormal1,038175.9
163.8–188.9ROR 180.0 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓
126.9 EB05 120.5 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=853 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Renal injury8,006168.6
164.6–172.7ROR 204.6 · calibrated p 3e-10 ✓
123.3 EB05 121.0 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 84.3 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Osteopenia3,942161.5
155.9–167.3ROR 176.8 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓
119.4 EB05 116.3 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 84.0 · 86% consumernot reported in cached trials
Gastrointestinal disorder congenital27157.6
101.8–244.2ROR 157.7 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓
108.5 EB05 78.3 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=27 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Anhedonia5,607124.3
120.9–127.9ROR 141.8 · calibrated p 7e-9 ✓
97.9 EB05 95.7 · IC025 +6.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 67.4 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Fanconi syndrome acquired369123.6
110.2–138.7ROR 124.6 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓
97.0 EB05 89.0 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=368not reported in cached trials
Caudal regression syndrome30108.4
72.8–161.4ROR 108.5 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓
83.3 EB05 61.1 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=30 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Osteoporosis7,29699.6
97.3–102.0ROR 118.5 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓
81.9 EB05 80.3 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 64.6 · 80% consumernot reported in cached trials
Ultrasound antenatal screen abnormal3998.1
69.4–138.7ROR 98.2 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓
77.9 EB05 59.5 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=33 · ♀ 100% (drug 29%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Meconium stain2796.8
63.9–146.6ROR 96.9 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓
75.9 EB05 54.8 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=27 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Alpha 1 foetoprotein abnormal1793.3
55.4–157.1ROR 93.3 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
71.6 EB05 47.3 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=14not reported in cached trials
Congenital genital malformation2792.4
61.1–139.8ROR 92.5 · calibrated p 6e-7 ✓
73.2 EB05 52.8 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=27 · ♀ 100% (drug 29%) · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Genitalia external ambiguous2991.7
61.5–136.6ROR 91.8 · calibrated p 6e-7 ✓
73.0 EB05 53.3 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=29 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Osteomalacia24987.9
76.8–100.6ROR 88.4 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓
73.4 EB05 66.1 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=249 · 71% consumernot reported in cached trials
Fear-related avoidance of activities2485.4
55.2–132.0ROR 85.4 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
68.3 EB05 48.3 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=24not reported in cached trials
Glomerular filtration rate abnormal20880.3
69.3–93.0ROR 80.6 · calibrated p 6e-7 ✓
68.0 EB05 60.6 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=201not reported in cached trials
Degenerative bone disease6579.6
61.1–103.5ROR 79.7 · calibrated p 9e-7 ✓
66.6 EB05 54.1 · IC025 +5.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=59not reported in cached trials
Trisomy 185475.7
56.7–100.9ROR 75.8 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
63.6 EB05 50.6 · IC025 +4.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=54 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Tethered cord syndrome2968.8
46.6–101.6ROR 68.8 · calibrated p 4e-6 ✓
57.7 EB05 42.2 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=29 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Economic problem1,94166.6
63.6–69.8ROR 69.5 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓
58.2 EB05 56.1 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 40.4 · 98% consumernot reported in cached trials
Heterotaxia2166.0
41.7–104.2ROR 66.0 · calibrated p 7e-6 ✓
55.0 EB05 38.0 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=21not reported in cached trials
Immune reconstitution syndrome15562.1
52.5–73.5ROR 62.3 · calibrated p 4e-6 ✓
54.4 EB05 47.6 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
exact term
serious n=150not reported in cached trials
Nephropathy1,10961.9
58.2–65.9ROR 63.5 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓
54.6 EB05 52.0 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 39.1 · 87% consumernot reported in cached trials
Vitamin d deficiency1,10659.2
55.6–62.9ROR 60.6 · calibrated p 4e-6 ✓
52.4 EB05 49.9 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 36.8 · 80% consumernot reported in cached trials
Gastrointestinal malformation2459.1
38.6–90.4ROR 59.1 · calibrated p 1e-5 ✓
50.4 EB05 35.7 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=24 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

✓ Trial adverse-event data found on ClinicalTrials.gov

Largest completed trials with posted results that list Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil as a study intervention. The right-hand column of the signal table shows whether each FAERS term was also recorded in these trials, with a real denominator (1 of 40 signal terms matched).

Caveats: trial populations, doses and follow-up differ from the reporting population; AE terms are sponsor-coded and matched here by wording; absence from a trial list means the term was not reported above the sponsor's frequency threshold, not that it cannot occur.

Most frequently reported reactions

By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.

ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Bone density decreased16,608516.1
505.8–526.6ROR 813.8 · calibrated p 3e-16 ✓
242.4 EB05 239.3 · IC025 +7.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 184.4 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Osteonecrosis (bone death)9,161177.1
173.2–181.1ROR 221.7 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓
127.8 EB05 125.6 · IC025 +7.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 87.8 · 87% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bone loss9,107705.6
683.8–728.2ROR 882.7 · calibrated p 1e-16 ✓
277.2 EB05 272.5 · IC025 +8.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 202.6 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Multiple fractures8,185456.1
443.0–469.7ROR 556.4 · calibrated p 2e-14 ✓
228.3 EB05 224.1 · IC025 +7.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 165.8 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Tooth loss8,153298.1
290.4–306.1ROR 363.2 · calibrated p 1e-12 ✓
180.5 EB05 177.2 · IC025 +7.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 130.2 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Renal injury8,006168.6
164.6–172.7ROR 204.6 · calibrated p 3e-10 ✓
123.3 EB05 121.0 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 84.3 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Osteoporosis7,29699.6
97.3–102.0ROR 118.5 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓
81.9 EB05 80.3 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 64.6 · 80% consumernot reported in cached trials
Skeletal injury7,1761,036.4
994.9–1,079.6ROR 1,231.1 · calibrated p 2e-18 ✓
316.8 EB05 310.7 · IC025 +8.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 221.6 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Pain6,5855.0
4.9–5.1ROR 5.7 · calibrated p 0.173
4.9 EB05 4.8 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 4.8 · 91% consumerNCT00557245: 2/1,579 (0.1%) on Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil; 2/1,584 (0.1%) control (serious AE)
Emotional distress6,35125.5
24.9–26.1ROR 29.5 · calibrated p 3e-4 ✓
24.2 EB05 23.7 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 17.0 · 99% consumernot reported in cached trials
Anxiety5,9459.8
9.6–10.1ROR 11.2 · calibrated p 0.022 ✓
9.6 EB05 9.4 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 8.7 · 91% consumerNCT00557245: 1/1,579 (0.1%) on Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil (serious AE)
Anhedonia5,607124.3
120.9–127.9ROR 141.8 · calibrated p 7e-9 ✓
97.9 EB05 95.7 · IC025 +6.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 67.4 · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Osteopenia3,942161.5
155.9–167.3ROR 176.8 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓
119.4 EB05 116.3 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 84.0 · 86% consumernot reported in cached trials

Unlabeled candidate signals

These flagged terms were not found in the FDA label text and do not match an artifact pattern. They are the pairs that would merit a structured assessment (temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across databases, trial or cohort evidence). The screen has not done that; string-matching misses label wording, and a strong PRR can still be stimulated reporting, co-medication, or the disease itself.

✓ A hand-written Bradford Hill causality assessment exists for this drug: Emtricitabine And Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate ↔ Chronic Kidney Disease.

Want to assess one of these properly? The runbook describes the Bradford Hill / trial-evidence workflow used on the assessment page, and handoff_top1000_signals.csv lists the strongest unassessed pairs across all drugs.

Common questions

What are the most reported side effects of Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil are bone density decreased, chronic kidney disease, osteonecrosis, bone loss, renal failure, multiple fractures. These are report counts, not rates: FAERS has no denominator, reporting is voluntary and uneven, and a term can be reported because of the illness being treated rather than the drug.

Does Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil have an FDA boxed warning?

Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: POSTTREATMENT ACUTE EXACERBATION OF HEPATITIS B Severe acute exacerbations of hepatitis B (HBV) have been reported in patients who are coinfected with HIV-1 and HBV and have discontinued emtricitabine. Hepatic functi.

Do FAERS signals prove that Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil causes these side effects?

No. A disproportionality signal (PRR, ROR) means a reaction is reported more often with this drug than with others in the database. That can reflect a real effect, but also the disease being treated, stimulated reporting after news or litigation, co-medications, or how reports are coded. Causality needs temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across data sources and, ideally, trial or cohort evidence. This page screens each term against the FDA label and ClinicalTrials.gov results; it does not establish causation.

Sources & methods

Page generated 2026-10-14. Label and PubChem text are retrieved automatically and may lag the current label; always check the current prescribing information. OpenPV is a beta research tool of the Open Source Medicine Foundation.