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Rituximab-Abbs side effects: what 4,946 FDA adverse event reports show

Rituximab-Abbs · Truxima · 264 reaction terms · 16,233 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

CD20-directed Cytolytic Antibody

FDA label (Established Pharmacologic Class) · compare the class

Brand names

Truxima

openFDA label

Who reports

4,946 reports · 73% serious · 516 with death outcome · 65% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

TRUXIMA (rituximab-abbs) is a CD20-directed cytolytic antibody indicated for the treatment of adult patients with: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) ( 1.1 ). Relapsed or refractory, low grade or follicular, CD20-positive B-cell NHL as a single agent. Previo.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Rituximab-abbs is a genetically engineered chimeric murine/human monoclonal IgG1 kappa antibody directed against the CD20 antigen. Rituximab-abbs has an approximate molecular weight of 145 kD. Rituximab-abbs is produced by mammalian cell (Chinese Hamster Ovary) suspension culture in a nutrient medium.

FDA label, Description section

Boxed warning

FATAL INFUSION-RELATED REACTIONS, SEVERE MUCOCUTANEOUS REACTIONS, HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION and PROGRESSIVE MULTIFOCAL LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY (PML) WARNING: FATAL INFUSION-RELATED REACTIONS, SEVERE MUCOCUTANEOUS RE.

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) 3Likely indication confounding 3Reporting / coding artifact 6Lab value / disease marker 1Not 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 flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers rather than clinicians. 224 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
Helicobacter infection13255.6
46.9–65.9ROR 57.1 · χ² 6,934 / p <1e-300
54.5 EB05 47.1 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 45.8 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Pemphigus13044.8
37.8–53.1ROR 46.0 · χ² 5,467 / p <1e-300
44.1 EB05 38.1 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 35.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 95% clinicianno trial data cached
Poor venous access10041.5
34.1–50.4ROR 42.3 · χ² 3,872 / p <1e-300
40.8 EB05 34.5 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=97no trial data cached
Hand deformity12239.9
33.5–47.6ROR 40.9 · χ² 4,547 / p <1e-300
39.3 EB05 33.8 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 34.0 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Intentional dose omission24037.5
33.2–42.5ROR 39.4 · χ² 8,433 / p <1e-300
37.1 EB05 33.3 · IC025 +4.9
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 53.9no trial data cached
Folliculitis8133.5
27.0–41.6ROR 34.0 · χ² 2,503 / p <1e-300
33.0 EB05 27.4 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious PRR 30.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 95% clinicianno trial data cached
Pericarditis12131.0
26.0–37.0ROR 31.8 · χ² 3,460 / p <1e-300
30.6 EB05 26.3 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 24.5 · ♀ 99% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Synovitis12930.5
25.7–36.2ROR 31.3 · χ² 3,630 / p <1e-300
30.2 EB05 26.1 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 25.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Hypercholesterolaemia6227.6
21.6–35.4ROR 28.0 · χ² 1,556 / p <1e-300
27.3 EB05 22.0 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 23.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Bursitis7426.2
20.8–32.8ROR 26.5 · χ² 1,755 / p <1e-300
25.8 EB05 21.3 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 24.2 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Glossodynia (burning tongue/mouth pain)12924.6
20.7–29.2ROR 25.2 · χ² 2,883 / p <1e-300
24.4 EB05 21.1 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 28.0 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Inability to afford medication5523.8
18.3–31.0ROR 24.1 · χ² 1,175 / p 9e-258
23.5 EB05 18.8 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=54no trial data cached
Insurance issue6418.3
14.4–23.4ROR 18.6 · χ² 1,028 / p 7e-226
18.2 EB05 14.7 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 26.6no trial data cached
Joint range of motion decreased5718.2
14.0–23.5ROR 18.4 · χ² 903 / p 9e-199
18.0 EB05 14.4 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 17.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Wound infection4517.6
13.2–23.6ROR 17.8 · χ² 686 / p 1e-151
17.4 EB05 13.5 · IC025 +3.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 14.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 91% clinicianno trial data cached
Wound11016.8
14.0–20.3ROR 17.2 · χ² 1,618 / p <1e-300
16.7 EB05 14.2 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 15.6 · ♀ 99% (drug 65%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Contraindicated product administered11816.6
13.9–19.9ROR 17.0 · χ² 1,715 / p <1e-300
16.5 EB05 14.2 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 16.2 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Intentional product use issue33216.1
14.5–17.8ROR 17.1 · χ² 4,676 / p <1e-300
16.0 EB05 14.6 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 15.5 · ♀ 96% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Infusion related reaction (reaction during infusion)23715.3
13.5–17.3ROR 16.0 · χ² 3,143 / p <1e-300
15.2 EB05 13.6 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
synonym match
serious PRR 13.3 · ♀ 88% (drug 65%) · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Irritable bowel syndrome7214.3
11.4–18.0ROR 14.5 · χ² 877 / p 4e-193
14.2 EB05 11.6 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 14.3 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 99% clinicianno trial data cached
Red blood cell sedimentation rate increased3613.8
10.0–19.1ROR 13.9 · χ² 414 / p 3e-92
13.5 EB05 10.0 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 12.0 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Obesity5113.6
10.3–17.9ROR 13.7 · χ² 581 / p 1e-128
13.4 EB05 10.4 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 12.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Hip arthroplasty4713.2
9.9–17.5ROR 13.3 · χ² 515 / p 3e-114
12.9 EB05 9.9 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 10.7 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Fibromyalgia6811.9
9.4–15.1ROR 12.1 · χ² 667 / p 2e-147
11.7 EB05 9.4 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 12.3 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 99% clinicianno trial data cached
Coeliac disease2711.7
8.0–17.0ROR 11.7 · χ² 253 / p 3e-57
11.0 EB05 7.7 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 11.5 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Off label use (used outside approved label)2,32811.4
11.1–11.7ROR 20.7 · χ² 22,971 / p <1e-300
11.4 EB05 11.0 · IC025 +3.4
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 10.0no trial data cached
Impaired healing8511.0
8.9–13.6ROR 11.2 · χ² 762 / p 5e-168
10.8 EB05 8.9 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 10.4 · ♀ 99% (drug 65%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Prescribed overdose5011.0
8.3–14.5ROR 11.1 · χ² 443 / p 1e-98
10.6 EB05 8.2 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 14.2 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Sciatica4010.7
7.9–14.6ROR 10.8 · χ² 342 / p 1e-76
10.2 EB05 7.7 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 11.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Underdose17510.2
8.8–11.8ROR 10.5 · χ² 1,440 / p <1e-300
10.1 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 28.6 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Joint dislocation2510.1
6.8–14.9ROR 10.1 · χ² 195 / p 1e-44
9.3 EB05 6.4 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 8.6no trial data cached
Rheumatoid arthritis2539.5
8.4–10.7ROR 10.0 · χ² 1,923 / p <1e-300
9.4 EB05 8.5 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 9.2 · ♀ 97% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Back injury249.4
6.3–14.0ROR 9.5 · χ² 172 / p 1e-39
8.5 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 9.8 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Laryngitis249.4
6.3–14.0ROR 9.4 · χ² 171 / p 2e-39
8.5 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=24 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 92% clinicianno trial data cached
Pulmonary fibrosis419.1
6.7–12.4ROR 9.2 · χ² 288 / p 8e-65
8.6 EB05 6.5 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 7.1no trial data cached
Arthropathy1199.1
7.6–10.8ROR 9.3 · χ² 846 / p 3e-186
8.9 EB05 7.6 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 8.7 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%) · 92% clinicianno trial data cached
Osteoarthritis898.9
7.2–10.9ROR 9.0 · χ² 616 / p 3e-136
8.6 EB05 7.2 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 7.9 · ♀ 96% (drug 65%) · 92% clinicianno trial data cached

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

Trial cross-check not yet run for this drug (ClinicalTrials.gov pull covers the 800 most-reported drugs first).

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
Off label use (used outside approved label)2,32811.4
11.1–11.7ROR 20.7 · χ² 22,971 / p <1e-300
11.4 EB05 11.0 · IC025 +3.4
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 10.0no trial data cached
Intentional product use issue33216.1
14.5–17.8ROR 17.1 · χ² 4,676 / p <1e-300
16.0 EB05 14.6 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 15.5 · ♀ 96% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Hypertension (high blood pressure)2815.6
5.0–6.3ROR 5.9 · χ² 1,073 / p 1e-235
5.6 EB05 5.0 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 5.5 · ♀ 93% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Rheumatoid arthritis2539.5
8.4–10.7ROR 10.0 · χ² 1,923 / p <1e-300
9.4 EB05 8.5 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 9.2 · ♀ 97% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Intentional dose omission24037.5
33.2–42.5ROR 39.4 · χ² 8,433 / p <1e-300
37.1 EB05 33.3 · IC025 +4.9
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 53.9no trial data cached
Infusion related reaction (reaction during infusion)23715.3
13.5–17.3ROR 16.0 · χ² 3,143 / p <1e-300
15.2 EB05 13.6 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
synonym match
serious PRR 13.3 · ♀ 88% (drug 65%) · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Pyrexia (fever)2272.8
2.4–3.2ROR 2.9 · χ² 261 / p 5e-59
2.8 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.2
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.6no trial data cached
Rash2262.2
1.9–2.5ROR 2.3 · χ² 152 / p 4e-35
2.2 EB05 2.0 · IC025 +0.9Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.8 · ♀ 89% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Arthralgia (joint pain)1982.0
1.8–2.3ROR 2.1 · χ² 104 / p 1e-24
2.0 EB05 1.8 · IC025 +0.8Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.7 · ♀ 94% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Hypersensitivity (allergic reaction)1884.3
3.7–5.0ROR 4.4 · χ² 477 / p 4e-106
4.3 EB05 3.8 · IC025 +1.9
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 6.2 · ♀ 99% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Condition aggravated1812.5
2.2–2.9ROR 2.6 · χ² 170 / p 3e-39
2.5 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 2.8 · ♀ 95% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Pruritus (itching)1802.0
1.7–2.3ROR 2.1 · χ² 93 / p 2e-22
2.0 EB05 1.8 · IC025 +0.8Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.3 · ♀ 85% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Underdose17510.2
8.8–11.8ROR 10.5 · χ² 1,440 / p <1e-300
10.1 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 28.6 · ♀ 100% (drug 65%)no trial data cached
Joint swelling1475.2
4.4–6.1ROR 5.3 · χ² 494 / p 1e-109
5.1 EB05 4.4 · IC025 +2.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 7.1 · ♀ 98% (drug 65%) · 93% clinicianno trial data cached

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: Rituximab ↔ Serious infection.

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 Rituximab-Abbs?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Rituximab-Abbs are hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, infusion related reaction, pyrexia, rash, arthralgia. 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 Rituximab-Abbs have an FDA boxed warning?

Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: FATAL INFUSION-RELATED REACTIONS, SEVERE MUCOCUTANEOUS REACTIONS, HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION and PROGRESSIVE MULTIFOCAL LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY (PML) WARNING: FATAL INFUSION-RELATED REACTIONS, SEVERE MUCOCUTANEOUS RE.

Do FAERS signals prove that Rituximab-Abbs 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 2026-10-08. 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.