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Ferric Gluconate Complex side effects: what 2,139 FDA adverse event reports show

Sodium Ferric Gluconate Complex · 129 reaction terms · 10,682 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Parenteral Iron Replacement

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

Label matched

Sodium Ferric Gluconate Complex (Ferrlecit)

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

Who reports

2,139 reports · 81% serious · 439 with death outcome · 66% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Ferrlecit is indicated for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients and in pediatric patients age 6 years and older with chronic kidney disease receiving hemodialysis who are receiving supplemental epoetin therapy. Ferrlecit is an iron.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Ferrlecit ® (sodium ferric gluconate complex in sucrose injection), an iron replacement product, is a stable macromolecular complex with an apparent molecular weight on gel chromatography of 289,000–440,000 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 5Labeled (related wording) 2Likely indication confounding 1Reporting / coding artifact 4Lab value / disease marker 2Not 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. 89 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
Appendicitis256277.7
247.1–312.1ROR 315.3 · χ² 68,365 / p <1e-300
264.6 EB05 238.5 · IC025 +7.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 194.5 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Ventricular fibrillation222199.4
175.8–226.2ROR 222.4 · χ² 42,765 / p <1e-300
192.2 EB05 171.9 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 139.1 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Cardiogenic shock251175.5
156.1–197.4ROR 198.7 · χ² 42,639 / p <1e-300
170.2 EB05 153.2 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 122.4 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome25791.1
81.2–102.3ROR 103.4 · χ² 22,634 / p <1e-300
89.7 EB05 80.9 · IC025 +6.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 64.1 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Ascites26087.4
78.0–98.0ROR 99.4 · χ² 21,958 / p <1e-300
86.1 EB05 77.7 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 62.4 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Incorrect route of product administration12774.6
63.0–88.4ROR 79.3 · χ² 9,091 / p <1e-300
73.3 EB05 63.2 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 105.2 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 98% clinicianno trial data cached
Bacterial infection13772.8
61.9–85.7ROR 77.8 · χ² 9,572 / p <1e-300
71.6 EB05 62.1 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 59.4 · ♀ 6% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Neuralgia13354.1
45.8–63.8ROR 57.6 · χ² 6,842 / p <1e-300
53.4 EB05 46.2 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 56.7 · ♀ 6% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Hyperlipidaemia6351.8
40.6–66.1ROR 53.3 · χ² 3,073 / p <1e-300
50.8 EB05 41.1 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 40.3 · ♀ 11% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Hyponatraemia (low sodium)25845.2
40.3–50.7ROR 51.3 · χ² 11,086 / p <1e-300
44.9 EB05 40.4 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 32.8 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
End stage renal disease8344.4
35.9–54.8ROR 46.1 · χ² 3,462 / p <1e-300
43.8 EB05 36.4 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 31.4 · ♀ 12% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Ulcer6842.0
33.2–53.1ROR 43.4 · χ² 2,672 / p <1e-300
41.4 EB05 33.8 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 37.5 · ♀ 11% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Gout6937.8
29.9–47.7ROR 39.0 · χ² 2,427 / p <1e-300
37.3 EB05 30.5 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 40.4 · ♀ 13% (drug 66%) · 99% clinicianno trial data cached
Stress25534.9
31.1–39.1ROR 39.5 · χ² 8,356 / p <1e-300
34.7 EB05 31.2 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 41.0 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Blood test abnormal4833.6
25.4–44.5ROR 34.4 · χ² 1,483 / p <1e-300
33.1 EB05 26.0 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 36.5 · ♀ 14% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Blood cholesterol increased14530.6
26.1–35.8ROR 32.7 · χ² 4,114 / p <1e-300
30.4 EB05 26.4 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 32.9 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Infusion related reaction (reaction during infusion)19629.2
25.5–33.3ROR 32.0 · χ² 5,305 / p <1e-300
29.0 EB05 25.8 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 22.2 · ♀ 93% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Aspiration3027.2
19.1–38.8ROR 27.6 · χ² 730 / p 5e-161
26.7 EB05 19.6 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 19.8 · ♀ 12% (drug 66%) · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Sepsis (blood infection)29325.8
23.2–28.7ROR 29.7 · χ² 6,980 / p <1e-300
25.7 EB05 23.3 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 18.4 · ♀ 12% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Abdominal distension (bloating)26925.4
22.7–28.4ROR 28.9 · χ² 6,303 / p <1e-300
25.3 EB05 22.9 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 31.4 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 95% clinicianno trial data cached
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease13024.5
20.7–29.0ROR 26.0 · χ² 2,907 / p <1e-300
24.4 EB05 21.0 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 20.3 · ♀ 6% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
General physical health deterioration28524.4
21.9–27.2ROR 28.0 · χ² 6,385 / p <1e-300
24.3 EB05 22.0 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 20.1 · ♀ 10% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Dry mouth17421.1
18.3–24.3ROR 22.9 · χ² 3,318 / p <1e-300
21.0 EB05 18.5 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 29.0 · ♀ 11% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Micturition urgency2420.8
14.0–31.0ROR 21.0 · χ² 432 / p 3e-96
20.4 EB05 14.4 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 24.4 · ♀ 15% (drug 66%) · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Iron deficiency anaemia1920.3
13.0–31.8ROR 20.5 · χ² 329 / p 7e-74
19.8 EB05 13.3 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications
serious PRR 13.7no trial data cached
Full blood count abnormal2119.6
12.8–30.0ROR 19.7 · χ² 351 / p 1e-78
19.1 EB05 13.1 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 18.4 · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Swelling18119.0
16.6–21.9ROR 20.7 · χ² 3,083 / p <1e-300
19.0 EB05 16.8 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 19.4 · ♀ 29% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Hypercholesterolaemia1818.5
11.7–29.3ROR 18.6 · χ² 280 / p 4e-63
18.0 EB05 11.7 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 13.9no trial data cached
Diabetes mellitus13817.7
15.1–20.8ROR 18.8 · χ² 2,161 / p <1e-300
17.6 EB05 15.3 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 13.6 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Abdominal pain40717.2
15.8–18.8ROR 21.0 · χ² 6,248 / p <1e-300
17.1 EB05 15.8 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 14.8 · ♀ 37% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Thrombosis13916.9
14.4–19.9ROR 18.0 · χ² 2,070 / p <1e-300
16.8 EB05 14.6 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 12.4 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Sleep disorder11816.6
13.9–19.7ROR 17.5 · χ² 1,712 / p <1e-300
16.5 EB05 14.1 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 19.4 · ♀ 7% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Toxic epidermal necrolysis (severe skin peeling reaction)2415.6
10.5–23.3ROR 15.8 · χ² 314 / p 2e-70
15.2 EB05 10.5 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 11.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 66%) · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Intentional product misuse13315.0
12.7–17.7ROR 16.0 · χ² 1,733 / p <1e-300
15.0 EB05 12.9 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 24.2 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 97% clinicianno trial data cached
Obstructive airways disorder1715.0
9.3–24.0ROR 15.1 · χ² 207 / p 3e-47
14.2 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 11.0no trial data cached
Liver function test increased3214.7
10.4–20.8ROR 14.9 · χ² 396 / p 2e-88
14.4 EB05 10.5 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 15.8 · ♀ 25% (drug 66%) · 91% clinicianno trial data cached
Joint range of motion decreased2014.7
9.5–22.7ROR 14.8 · χ² 241 / p 1e-54
14.1 EB05 9.2 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 13.3no trial data cached
Sputum discoloured1414.5
8.6–24.5ROR 14.6 · χ² 163 / p 1e-37
13.5 EB05 7.8 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 13.5no 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
Nausea5086.3
5.9–6.8ROR 8.0 · χ² 2,355 / p <1e-300
6.3 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 7.5 · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Vomiting4559.5
8.8–10.3ROR 11.8 · χ² 3,538 / p <1e-300
9.5 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 9.1 · ♀ 43% (drug 66%) · 93% clinicianno trial data cached
Abdominal pain40717.2
15.8–18.8ROR 21.0 · χ² 6,248 / p <1e-300
17.1 EB05 15.8 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 14.8 · ♀ 37% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Dyspnoea (shortness of breath)3856.7
6.1–7.3ROR 7.9 · χ² 1,903 / p <1e-300
6.6 EB05 6.1 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 5.6 · 91% clinicianno trial data cached
Sepsis (blood infection)29325.8
23.2–28.7ROR 29.7 · χ² 6,980 / p <1e-300
25.7 EB05 23.3 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 18.4 · ♀ 12% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
General physical health deterioration28524.4
21.9–27.2ROR 28.0 · χ² 6,385 / p <1e-300
24.3 EB05 22.0 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 20.1 · ♀ 10% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Abdominal distension (bloating)26925.4
22.7–28.4ROR 28.9 · χ² 6,303 / p <1e-300
25.3 EB05 22.9 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 31.4 · ♀ 5% (drug 66%) · 95% clinicianno trial data cached
Ascites26087.4
78.0–98.0ROR 99.4 · χ² 21,958 / p <1e-300
86.1 EB05 77.7 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 62.4 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Hyponatraemia (low sodium)25845.2
40.3–50.7ROR 51.3 · χ² 11,086 / p <1e-300
44.9 EB05 40.4 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 32.8 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome25791.1
81.2–102.3ROR 103.4 · χ² 22,634 / p <1e-300
89.7 EB05 80.9 · IC025 +6.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 64.1 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Appendicitis256277.7
247.1–312.1ROR 315.3 · χ² 68,365 / p <1e-300
264.6 EB05 238.5 · IC025 +7.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 194.5 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Stress25534.9
31.1–39.1ROR 39.5 · χ² 8,356 / p <1e-300
34.7 EB05 31.2 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 41.0 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Constipation25211.4
10.2–12.8ROR 12.8 · χ² 2,410 / p <1e-300
11.4 EB05 10.2 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 14.5 · ♀ 6% (drug 66%) · 95% clinicianno trial data cached
Cardiogenic shock251175.5
156.1–197.4ROR 198.7 · χ² 42,639 / p <1e-300
170.2 EB05 153.2 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 122.4 · ♀ 4% (drug 66%) · 96% clinicianno trial data cached
Ventricular fibrillation222199.4
175.8–226.2ROR 222.4 · χ² 42,765 / p <1e-300
192.2 EB05 171.9 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 139.1 · ♀ 3% (drug 66%) · 96% 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.

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 Ferric Gluconate Complex?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Ferric Gluconate Complex are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dyspnoea, sepsis, abdominal distension. 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 Ferric Gluconate Complex have an FDA boxed warning?

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

Do FAERS signals prove that Ferric Gluconate Complex 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.