← All drugs
Drug · FAERS side-effect profile with label screen

Exenatide side effects: what 52,313 FDA adverse event reports show

Exenatide · 1,148 reaction terms · 180,453 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
Share: X Facebook Reddit Email

Drug class

GLP-1 Receptor Agonist

FDA label (Established Pharmacologic Class) · compare the class

Who reports

52,313 reports · 28% serious · 1,763 with death outcome · 64% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Exenatide injection is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Exenatide injection is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Exenatide is a synthetic peptide, GLP-1 receptor agonist, that was originally identified in the lizard Heloderma suspectum . Exenatide is a 39-amino acid peptide amide. Exenatide has the empirical formula C 184 H 282 N 50 O 60 S and molecular weight of 4186.6 Daltons.

FDA label, Description section

Boxed warning

None in the current 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 adverse reaction 4Labeled (related wording) 4Likely indication confounding 1Reporting / coding artifact 1Lab value / disease marker 4Not in label — unassessed 26
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). 1,108 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
Early satiety637201.9
183.6–222.0ROR 204.3 · calibrated p 3e-10 ✓
133.4 EB05 124.9 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 30.3 (25.7–35.8)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=47 · 94% consumernot reported in cached trials
Regurgitation of food25117.4
75.1–183.5ROR 117.5 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
85.0 EB05 60.6 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessed100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Accidental needle stick174105.0
88.8–124.0ROR 105.3 · calibrated p 9e-8 ✓
82.4 EB05 72.6 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessed87% consumernot reported in cached trials
Blood glucose3294.2
64.1–138.5ROR 94.3 · calibrated p 5e-7 ✓
73.1 EB05 54.2 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Post procedural hypothyroidism2965.0
43.9–96.3ROR 65.0 · calibrated p 5e-6 ✓
54.1 EB05 39.5 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=29not reported in cached trials
Adenocarcinoma pancreas15755.6
47.1–65.7ROR 55.8 · calibrated p 8e-6 ✓
48.6 EB05 42.5 · IC025 +5.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 8.0 (6.4–9.9)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=157 · ♀ 41% (drug 64%)not reported in cached trials
Pancreatic carcinoma metastatic32952.1
46.5–58.4ROR 52.4 · calibrated p 1e-5 ✓
46.0 EB05 42.0 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 7.4 (6.4–8.6)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=329 · ♀ 40% (drug 64%)not reported in cached trials
Bile duct stent insertion3945.9
33.0–64.0ROR 46.0 · calibrated p 4e-5 ✓
40.5 EB05 30.9 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=39not reported in cached trials
Stomach discomfort43536.3
32.9–40.0ROR 36.6 · calibrated p 9e-5 ✓
33.2 EB05 30.7 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=32 · 96% consumernot reported in cached trials
Bowel sounds abnormal2432.2
21.2–48.8ROR 32.2 · calibrated p 3e-4 ✓
29.2 EB05 20.7 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessed83% consumernot reported in cached trials
Anorexia89429.4
27.5–31.4ROR 29.9 · calibrated p 3e-4 ✓
27.4 EB05 25.9 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 6.1 · 93% consumernot reported in cached trials
Blood glucose fluctuation74028.9
26.8–31.1ROR 29.3 · calibrated p 3e-4 ✓
27.0 EB05 25.4 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 8.5 (7.7–9.4)
Lab value / disease markerserious n=138 · 89% consumernot reported in cached trials
Medullary thyroid cancer2228.0
18.2–43.1ROR 28.0 · calibrated p 7e-4 ✓
25.7 EB05 17.9 · IC025 +3.4
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 1.6 (1.0–2.4)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=22not reported in cached trials
Insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus1925.9
16.3–41.3ROR 25.9 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
23.9 EB05 16.1 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=18not reported in cached trials
Papillary thyroid cancer10525.9
21.3–31.6ROR 26.0 · calibrated p 6e-4 ✓
24.3 EB05 20.6 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 5.7 (4.4–7.2)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=105NCT01144338: 1/7,344 (0.0%) on Exenatide (serious AE)
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour metastatic1424.9
14.5–42.7ROR 24.9 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
22.7 EB05 14.2 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=14not reported in cached trials
Hypoglycaemia unawareness2023.6
15.0–37.0ROR 23.6 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
21.8 EB05 14.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=10not reported in cached trials
Pancreatitis relapsing4422.9
16.9–31.1ROR 23.0 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
21.6 EB05 16.7 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=44not reported in cached trials
Energy increased28920.5
18.2–23.0ROR 20.6 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
19.5 EB05 17.7 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 37.4 (28.7–48.8)
Not in label — unassessed97% consumernot reported in cached trials
Feeling jittery89419.6
18.4–21.0ROR 20.0 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
18.8 EB05 17.7 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 25.2 (22.1–28.6)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious n=61 · 95% consumernot reported in cached trials
Pancreaticoduodenectomy3019.4
13.5–28.0ROR 19.4 · calibrated p 0.003 ✓
18.3 EB05 13.4 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=30 · ♀ 30% (drug 64%)not reported in cached trials
Weight decreased (weight loss)12,12518.2
17.9–18.5ROR 23.4 · calibrated p 9e-4 ✓
17.4 EB05 17.2 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 10.5 (10.3–10.7)
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 9.5 · 88% consumerNCT01144338: 1/7,344 (0.0%) on Exenatide; 1/7,372 (0.0%) control (serious AE)
Eructation (belching)80117.6
16.4–18.9ROR 17.8 · calibrated p 0.003 ✓
16.9 EB05 15.9 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 2.4 (2.2–2.6)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious n=70 · 95% consumernot reported in cached trials
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour2717.6
12.0–25.8ROR 17.6 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
16.6 EB05 11.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 10.2 (5.8–17.7)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=27 · ♀ 33% (drug 64%)NCT01144338: 1/7,372 (0.0%) control (serious AE)
Injection site coldness3517.5
12.5–24.6ROR 17.5 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
16.6 EB05 12.4 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 4.5 (3.0–6.8)
Not in label — unassessed85% consumernot reported in cached trials
Pancreatic insufficiency1517.2
10.2–28.8ROR 17.2 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
15.7 EB05 9.5 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessedserious n=15not reported in cached trials
Pancreatic carcinoma1,18717.0
16.1–18.0ROR 17.4 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓
16.4 EB05 15.6 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 7.0 (6.5–7.6)
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 33.8 · ♀ 41% (drug 64%) · 74% consumerNCT01144338: 15/7,344 (0.2%) on Exenatide; 15/7,372 (0.2%) control (serious AE)
Thirst decreased2516.8
11.3–25.1ROR 16.8 · calibrated p 0.006 ✓
15.8 EB05 11.1 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.6 (2.2–5.7)
Not in label — unassessed100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Hypoglycaemic unconsciousness7916.6
13.2–20.7ROR 16.6 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
15.8 EB05 13.1 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 5.8 (4.3–7.6)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=79 · 78% consumernot reported in cached trials
Injection site extravasation49416.5
15.1–18.0ROR 16.6 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
15.9 EB05 14.7 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 26.8 (22.4–32.0)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=55 · 94% consumernot reported in cached trials
Blood glucose abnormal73016.4
15.3–17.7ROR 16.6 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
15.8 EB05 14.9 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 4.3 (3.9–4.7)
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 10.8 · 83% consumernot reported in cached trials
Glycosylated haemoglobin increased99116.4
15.4–17.4ROR 16.7 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓
15.8 EB05 15.0 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 1.8 (1.7–1.9)
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 23.6 · 81% consumernot reported in cached trials
Blood triglycerides decreased1315.9
9.1–27.7ROR 15.9 · calibrated p 0.010 ✓
14.3 EB05 8.0 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Lab value / disease marker–not reported in cached trials
Hypotrichosis2515.9
10.7–23.7ROR 15.9 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
14.9 EB05 10.4 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: only this drug
Not in label — unassessed♀ 100% (drug 64%) · 100% consumernot reported in cached trials
Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation)2,01215.8
15.1–16.5ROR 16.4 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
15.2 EB05 14.7 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.4 (3.2–3.6)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 31.6NCT01144338: 37/7,344 (0.5%) on Exenatide; 22/7,372 (0.3%) control (serious AE)
Food aversion6115.2
11.8–19.6ROR 15.2 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
14.5 EB05 11.6 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.3 (2.4–4.4)
Not in label — unassessedserious n=11 · 90% consumernot reported in cached trials

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

✓ Trial adverse-event data found on ClinicalTrials.gov

Largest completed trials with posted results that list Exenatide 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 (6 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
Weight decreased (weight loss)12,12518.2
17.9–18.5ROR 23.4 · calibrated p 9e-4 ✓
17.4 EB05 17.2 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 10.5 (10.3–10.7)
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 9.5 · 88% consumerNCT01144338: 1/7,344 (0.0%) on Exenatide; 1/7,372 (0.0%) control (serious AE)
Nausea12,0436.2
6.1–6.3ROR 7.8 · calibrated p 0.073
6.1 EB05 6.0 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.7 (3.6–3.8)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.8 · 89% consumernot reported in cached trials
Decreased appetite (loss of appetite)5,64310.0
9.7–10.2ROR 11.1 · calibrated p 0.022 ✓
9.8 EB05 9.6 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 4.8 (4.6–4.9)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.9 · 93% consumernot reported in cached trials
Vomiting4,3473.7
3.6–3.9ROR 4.0 · calibrated p 0.379
3.7 EB05 3.6 · IC025 +1.8
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 2.3 (2.2–2.4)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.1 · 85% consumernot reported in cached trials
Diarrhoea (diarrhea)2,7421.7
1.7–1.8ROR 1.8 · calibrated p 0.801
1.7 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.7
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 1.5 (1.4–1.6)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.7 · 85% consumernot reported in cached trials
Dizziness2,6742.2
2.1–2.2ROR 2.2 · calibrated p 0.941
2.2 EB05 2.1 · IC025 +1.0
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.9 (3.7–4.1)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.6 · 89% consumerNCT01144338: 5/7,344 (0.1%) on Exenatide; 9/7,372 (0.1%) control (serious AE)
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)2,2500.7
0.7–0.7ROR 0.7 · calibrated p 0.116
0.7 EB05 0.7 · IC025 -0.6
PRR-only: not supported by EBGM or IC
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 2.8 (2.7–2.9)
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 0.7 · 88% consumernot reported in cached trials
Headache2,0861.3
1.3–1.4ROR 1.4 · calibrated p 0.542
1.3 EB05 1.3 · IC025 +0.3
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 2.6 (2.5–2.8)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 0.9 · 91% consumerNCT01144338: 1/7,344 (0.0%) on Exenatide; 1/7,372 (0.0%) control (serious AE)
Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation)2,01215.8
15.1–16.5ROR 16.4 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
15.2 EB05 14.7 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 3.4 (3.2–3.6)
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 31.6NCT01144338: 37/7,344 (0.5%) on Exenatide; 22/7,372 (0.3%) control (serious AE)
Injection site bruising1,8439.6
9.1–10.0ROR 9.9 · calibrated p 0.034 ✓
9.4 EB05 9.0 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 5.8 (5.5–6.2)
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 4.8 · 95% consumernot reported in cached trials
Injection site haemorrhage1,8109.3
8.9–9.8ROR 9.6 · calibrated p 0.037 ✓
9.1 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
vs other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: PRR 4.1 (3.9–4.4)
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 12.4 · 95% consumerNCT01144338: 1/7,372 (0.0%) control (serious AE)

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: Exenatide ↔ Pancreatitis.

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 Exenatide?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Exenatide are blood glucose increased, weight decreased, nausea, decreased appetite, blood glucose decreased, vomiting. 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 Exenatide have an FDA boxed warning?

No. The FDA label retrieved for Exenatide has no boxed warning; see the label's Warnings and Precautions for the recognised risks.

Do FAERS signals prove that Exenatide 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.