Human Immunoglobulin G side effects: what 20,354 FDA adverse event reports show
Drug class
Human Immunoglobulin G
Brand names
Qivigy Kthm
Who reports
20,354 reports · 92% serious · 2,729 with death outcome · 63% female
Used for
QIVIGY (immune globulin intravenous, human-kthm) 10% solution is indicated for the treatment of adults with Primary Humoral Immunodeficiency (PI). This includes, but is not limited to, congenital agammaglobulinemia, common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), X-linked agammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, and severe combined immunodeficiencies.
What it is
QIVIGY (immune globulin intravenous, human-kthm) is a ready-to-use, sterile, non-pyrogenic liquid solution of human immune globulin (IgG) for intravenous administration. QIVIGY is clear or slightly opalescent, colorless or pale yellow.
Boxed warning
THROMBOSIS, RENAL DYSFUNCTION, AND ACUTE RENAL FAILURE Thrombosis may occur with immune globulin products, including QIVIGY. Risk factors may include: advanced age, prolonged immobilization, hypercoagulable condition.
Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals
What the badges mean
- Labeled adverse reaction The exact term appears in the label's warnings or adverse-reactions sections: a known, expected effect. The FAERS signal confirms the label rather than discovering anything.
- Labeled (related wording) The label describes this effect under different wording (e.g. 'neutropenia' for 'neutrophil count decreased'). Treated as known.
- Reporting / coding artifact An administrative, monitoring or exposure term (product issue, off-label use, 'test normal', overdose...). Not a biological reaction; a high PRR here reflects how reports are coded.
- Lab value / disease marker A laboratory result, investigation or disease-activity marker (antibody positive, CRP abnormal, swollen joint count) not described in the label. These usually mirror the monitored disease or testing protocol rather than a drug effect; not screened further.
- Not in label — unassessed Not found in the label text, not an artifact pattern. This is a genuine candidate for a formal causality assessment (Bradford Hill / WHO-UMC); it has NOT had one here.
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.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allergy to immunoglobulin therapy | 44 | 764.5 516.8–1,131.0ROR 766.2 · calibrated p 5e-15 ✓ | 365.8 EB05 283.8 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=42 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Blood immunoglobulin g abnormal | 44 | 379.0 268.1–535.9ROR 379.8 · calibrated p 4e-12 ✓ | 246.3 EB05 191.0 · IC025 +5.6 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=42 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Inspiratory capacity decreased | 74 | 376.7 288.5–491.8ROR 378.0 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓ | 256.3 EB05 210.9 · IC025 +6.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=74 · ♀ 0% (drug 63%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Amaurosis fugax | 209 | 248.7 213.9–289.1ROR 251.2 · calibrated p 6e-11 ✓ | 196.1 EB05 174.8 · IC025 +6.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=209 · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Human antichimeric antibody positive | 62 | 228.9 173.8–301.4ROR 229.6 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 176.6 EB05 142.7 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=62 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site mass | 184 | 213.1 181.9–249.7ROR 215.1 · calibrated p 3e-10 ✓ | 173.0 EB05 153.0 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=178 · 70% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site discharge | 282 | 202.1 178.0–229.5ROR 204.9 · calibrated p 4e-10 ✓ | 166.6 EB05 150.9 · IC025 +6.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=268 · 78% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site bruising | 334 | 190.7 169.8–214.2ROR 193.9 · calibrated p 6e-10 ✓ | 159.1 EB05 145.3 · IC025 +6.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=319 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site scar | 65 | 178.0 136.8–231.6ROR 178.6 · calibrated p 2e-9 ✓ | 145.1 EB05 117.8 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=60 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Ankle arthroplasty | 46 | 150.5 110.4–205.1ROR 150.9 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓ | 124.4 EB05 97.1 · IC025 +5.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=46 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Short stature | 31 | 137.6 94.6–200.3ROR 137.8 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓ | 112.9 EB05 83.4 · IC025 +4.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=31 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Stiff person syndrome | 38 | 128.9 92.0–180.7ROR 129.2 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓ | 108.3 EB05 82.4 · IC025 +5.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=38 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Coronary artery aneurysm | 26 | 126.6 84.2–190.3ROR 126.7 · calibrated p 6e-8 ✓ | 104.2 EB05 74.7 · IC025 +4.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=25 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site pruritus | 332 | 121.9 108.9–136.5ROR 123.9 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓ | 108.2 EB05 98.8 · IC025 +6.4 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=325 · ♀ 84% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site urticaria | 69 | 119.7 93.3–153.6ROR 120.1 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓ | 104.1 EB05 85.0 · IC025 +5.5 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=66 · ♀ 86% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Transfusion-related acute lung injury | 31 | 117.5 81.0–170.3ROR 117.6 · calibrated p 9e-8 ✓ | 99.0 EB05 73.1 · IC025 +4.7 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious n=30 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Blood immunoglobulin g decreased | 251 | 117.4 103.1–133.7ROR 118.9 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓ | 104.5 EB05 94.1 · IC025 +6.2 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=239 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Coombs direct test positive | 32 | 117.3 81.3–169.1ROR 117.5 · calibrated p 9e-8 ✓ | 99.1 EB05 73.5 · IC025 +4.7 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious n=32 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Transfusion-related circulatory overload | 24 | 115.7 75.9–176.5ROR 115.9 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 96.2 EB05 68.0 · IC025 +4.4 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=24 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Blood immunoglobulin a decreased | 66 | 115.3 89.4–148.7ROR 115.6 · calibrated p 6e-8 ✓ | 100.6 EB05 81.8 · IC025 +5.5 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=65 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site haemorrhage | 323 | 113.2 101.0–126.9ROR 115.0 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓ | 101.3 EB05 92.3 · IC025 +6.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=314 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Immunoglobulins abnormal | 26 | 112.9 75.3–169.4ROR 113.1 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 94.8 EB05 68.0 · IC025 +4.5 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=24 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site discomfort | 101 | 112.1 91.3–137.6ROR 112.7 · calibrated p 6e-8 ✓ | 99.1 EB05 83.9 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=94 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Immunoglobulins decreased | 129 | 106.6 88.9–127.7ROR 107.2 · calibrated p 8e-8 ✓ | 95.1 EB05 82.1 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=129 · ♀ 84% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Joint destruction | 144 | 103.7 87.4–123.0ROR 104.4 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 93.0 EB05 80.9 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=144 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Body height below normal | 59 | 102.0 78.1–133.3ROR 102.3 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓ | 90.1 EB05 72.4 · IC025 +5.3 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=59 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy | 125 | 98.8 82.3–118.7ROR 99.4 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 88.9 EB05 76.6 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=124 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site swelling | 536 | 97.5 89.3–106.4ROR 100.1 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓ | 88.7 EB05 82.6 · IC025 +6.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=511 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Device infusion issue | 207 | 94.4 81.9–108.7ROR 95.3 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓ | 85.7 EB05 76.3 · IC025 +5.9 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=202 · 72% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Incorrect drug administration rate | 357 | 94.3 84.7–105.0ROR 95.9 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓ | 85.9 EB05 78.7 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=340 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Immunisation reaction | 57 | 88.5 67.5–116.0ROR 88.8 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓ | 79.4 EB05 63.5 · IC025 +5.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=56 · ♀ 86% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Bone density increased | 25 | 68.1 45.4–102.1ROR 68.2 · calibrated p 4e-6 ✓ | 61.0 EB05 43.5 · IC025 +4.2 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=25 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Blood immunoglobulin m decreased | 61 | 66.5 51.4–86.2ROR 66.7 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓ | 61.3 EB05 49.5 · IC025 +5.0 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=61 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Insurance issue | 902 | 66.1 61.9–70.6ROR 69.1 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 62.0 EB05 58.7 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 75.8 · 71% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site erythema | 499 | 65.5 59.9–71.6ROR 67.1 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓ | 61.4 EB05 57.0 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=482 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Infusion site rash | 82 | 65.4 52.4–81.8ROR 65.7 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓ | 60.7 EB05 50.4 · IC025 +5.1 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=74 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Death of relative | 24 | 63.8 42.3–96.4ROR 63.9 · calibrated p 7e-6 ✓ | 57.5 EB05 40.6 · IC025 +4.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=24 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Smooth muscle cell neoplasm | 24 | 62.8 41.6–94.9ROR 62.9 · calibrated p 7e-6 ✓ | 56.7 EB05 40.1 · IC025 +4.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=24 · ♀ 100% (drug 63%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Multiple allergies | 448 | 61.9 56.3–68.0ROR 63.2 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓ | 58.2 EB05 53.8 · IC025 +5.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=432 · ♀ 85% (drug 63%) · 78% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Coombs positive haemolytic anaemia | 26 | 60.7 40.8–90.1ROR 60.7 · calibrated p 8e-6 ✓ | 55.1 EB05 39.5 · IC025 +4.1 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=26 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Most frequently reported reactions
By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off label use (used outside approved label) | 4,487 | 5.3 5.2–5.4ROR 6.5 · calibrated p 0.121 | 5.3 EB05 5.2 · IC025 +2.4 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 5.8 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug ineffective (drug did not work) | 2,486 | 1.9 1.9–2.0ROR 2.1 · calibrated p 0.977 | 1.9 EB05 1.9 · IC025 +0.9 | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 3.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fatigue (tiredness) | 2,479 | 3.3 3.2–3.4ROR 3.6 · calibrated p 0.465 | 3.3 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 3.6 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Headache | 2,287 | 3.7 3.6–3.9ROR 4.1 · calibrated p 0.362 | 3.7 EB05 3.6 · IC025 +1.8 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 4.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Covid-19 | 2,170 | 12.7 12.2–13.2ROR 14.1 · calibrated p 0.009 ✓ | 12.5 EB05 12.1 · IC025 +3.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 13.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pneumonia (lung infection) | 1,902 | 6.0 5.8–6.3ROR 6.6 · calibrated p 0.118 | 6.0 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.5 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious PRR 3.9 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Sinusitis | 1,893 | 19.2 18.4–20.0ROR 21.0 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓ | 18.8 EB05 18.1 · IC025 +4.2 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 22.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Product dose omission issue | 1,856 | 6.7 6.4–7.0ROR 7.3 · calibrated p 0.089 | 6.7 EB05 6.4 · IC025 +2.7 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 14.8 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Nausea | 1,603 | 2.1 2.0–2.2ROR 2.2 · calibrated p 0.966 | 2.1 EB05 2.0 · IC025 +1.0 | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 2.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Inappropriate schedule of product administration | 1,583 | 9.2 8.8–9.7ROR 9.9 · calibrated p 0.033 ✓ | 9.1 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +3.1 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 13.6 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Malaise (feeling unwell) | 1,521 | 3.5 3.4–3.7ROR 3.8 · calibrated p 0.427 | 3.5 EB05 3.4 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 3.6 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pyrexia (fever) | 1,481 | 4.4 4.2–4.6ROR 4.7 · calibrated p 0.276 | 4.4 EB05 4.2 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 3.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fall | 1,364 | 4.2 4.0–4.4ROR 4.4 · calibrated p 0.306 | 4.2 EB05 4.0 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.1 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pain | 1,304 | 2.2 2.1–2.3ROR 2.2 · calibrated p 0.928 | 2.2 EB05 2.1 · IC025 +1.0 3/3 methods agree | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | serious PRR 2.0 · ♀ 83% (drug 63%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Illness | 1,227 | 12.6 12.0–13.3ROR 13.4 · calibrated p 0.011 ✓ | 12.5 EB05 11.9 · IC025 +3.5 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 16.1 | no trial arm names this drug |
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.
- Inspiratory capacity decreased — n=74, PRR 376.7
- Amaurosis fugax — n=209, PRR 248.7
- Infusion site mass — n=184, PRR 213.1
- Infusion site discharge — n=282, PRR 202.1
- Infusion site bruising — n=334, PRR 190.7
- Infusion site scar — n=65, PRR 178.0
- Ankle arthroplasty — n=46, PRR 150.5
- Short stature — n=31, PRR 137.6
- Stiff person syndrome — n=38, PRR 128.9
- Coronary artery aneurysm — n=26, PRR 126.6
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 Human Immunoglobulin G?
In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Human Immunoglobulin G are fatigue, headache, covid-19, pneumonia, sinusitis, nausea. 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 Human Immunoglobulin G have an FDA boxed warning?
Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: THROMBOSIS, RENAL DYSFUNCTION, AND ACUTE RENAL FAILURE Thrombosis may occur with immune globulin products, including QIVIGY. Risk factors may include: advanced age, prolonged immobilization, hypercoagulable condition.
Do FAERS signals prove that Human Immunoglobulin G 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
- FDA label via openFDA (set ID 6f1933e0-240f-48f4-b246-8a30e63a4160, effective 20260202; matched on
openfda.generic_name.exact:"HUMAN IMMUNOGLOBULIN G") - Bayesian shrinkage measures computed offline over all 1,317,300 cached pairs: BCPNN information component (IC, with Norén closed-form IC025) and MGPS empirical-Bayes geometric mean (EBGM, EB05) with a two-component gamma prior fitted by maximum marginal likelihood (α₁=0.57, β₁=0.02, α₂=1.42, β₂=0.70, w=0.17); unstratified
- FAERS pair statistics from the OpenPV build of 2026-09-14 (openFDA
count=aggregation, fieldpatient.drug.openfda.generic_name.exact, 1,184 reaction terms, min 3 co-reports); PRR/ROR with 95% CI, chi-square with Yates correction - Serious-only and stratified counts (serious:1, patient.patientsex, primarysource.qualification) from openFDA count queries; serious-only PRR uses the drug serious report total and the term global serious total (N_serious=11,882,979); strata shown only when n ≥ 20
- Seriousness and sex counts from openFDA
count=serious,patient.patientsex,seriousnessdeath - ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 (query
HUMAN IMMUNOGLOBULIN G, results-bearing studies sorted by enrollment)
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.