Drug side effects
baricitinib Side Effects
The reactions most often reported to the FDA for baricitinib (also sold as Olumiant), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 9,259
- FAERS reports
Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2012 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.
The most commonly reported side effects of baricitinib come from 9,259 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.
This page analyzes 9,259 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for baricitinib (Olumiant): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.
Total Reports
9,259
Reports Mentioning Death
866
9.4% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death
Hospitalizations
3,011
32.5% of reports
Top Indication
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 866 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 229 |
| COVID-19 | 80 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 48 |
| CARDIAC ARREST | 45 |
| COVID-19 PNEUMONIA | 41 |
| SEPSIS | 41 |
| PULMONARY EMBOLISM | 39 |
| MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME | 34 |
| PNEUMONIA | 33 |
| SEPTIC SHOCK | 28 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 27 |
| ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME | 25 |
| CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST | 24 |
| CARDIAC FAILURE | 22 |
| ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 21 |
| ISCHAEMIC STROKE | 21 |
| BRONCHOPULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS | 20 |
| DYSPNOEA | 20 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 3,011 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 | 227 |
| PNEUMONIA | 185 |
| RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS | 181 |
| PULMONARY EMBOLISM | 154 |
| DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS | 109 |
| DYSPNOEA | 99 |
| HERPES ZOSTER | 88 |
| PYREXIA | 83 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 77 |
| URINARY TRACT INFECTION | 75 |
| ARTHRITIS | 73 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 72 |
| FALL | 71 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 70 |
| VOMITING | 69 |
| COVID-19 PNEUMONIA | 65 |
| SEPSIS | 63 |
| ANAEMIA | 62 |
Nearby, Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About baricitinib Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 9,259 voluntary reports linked to baricitinib and its brand equivalents (Olumiant), spanning 2012 through 2025. Of those, 866 (9.4%) listed death as an outcome and 3,011 (32.5%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 67% were female and 33% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 2,625 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is covid-19 with 439 submissions, followed by rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary embolism.
How to read these numbers
FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.
Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume
Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to baricitinib's 9,259.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.