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entecavir Side Effects

Also known as: Baraclude

Analysis of 11,247 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 2004 to 2025.

Total Reports

11,247

Death-Related

1,842

16.4% of reports

Hospitalizations

4,285

38.1% of reports

Top Indication

Hepatitis B

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

DEATH
539
OFF LABEL USE
501
DRUG INEFFECTIVE
432
DRUG RESISTANCE
401
DIARRHOEA
363
FATIGUE
353
PYREXIA
348
HEPATITIS B
327
NAUSEA
313
PLATELET COUNT DECREASED
289
PNEUMONIA
286
ANAEMIA
229
RENAL IMPAIRMENT
225
HEPATIC FAILURE
221
WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT DECREASED
221
NEUTROPENIA
218
ASTHENIA
217
HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA
211
ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE INCREASED
208
DECREASED APPETITE
204

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 3,417 (35%)
Male 6,385 (65%)
Unknown 36

Age Distribution

0-17 250 (3%)
18-44 1,327 (17%)
45-64 3,582 (46%)
65-74 1,845 (23%)
75+ 857 (11%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 1,842 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 530
HEPATIC FAILURE 173
HEPATITIS B 99
SEPSIS 94
PNEUMONIA 81
HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA 78
PYREXIA 75
OFF LABEL USE 65
SEPTIC SHOCK 64
DIARRHOEA 51
RENAL FAILURE 50
HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY 49
DISEASE PROGRESSION 48
RESPIRATORY FAILURE 48
MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME 47
ANAEMIA 45
HEPATIC FUNCTION ABNORMAL 44
HEPATIC CIRRHOSIS 43
MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 43
PLATELET COUNT DECREASED 43

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 4,285 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
PYREXIA 237
DIARRHOEA 206
PNEUMONIA 205
OFF LABEL USE 178
PLATELET COUNT DECREASED 157
NAUSEA 148
FEBRILE NEUTROPENIA 133
ANAEMIA 126
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 122
DECREASED APPETITE 116
FATIGUE 112
HOSPITALISATION 105
ASCITES 101
ASTHENIA 101
THROMBOCYTOPENIA 99
DYSPNOEA 98
SEPSIS 98
VOMITING 98
WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT DECREASED 96
ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE INCREASED 94

Nearby — Related Medications

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What the FAERS Data Reveals About entecavir Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 11,247 voluntary reports linked to entecavir and its brand equivalents (Baraclude), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 1,842 (16.4%) listed death as an outcome and 4,285 (38.1%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Hepatitis B.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 35% were female and 65% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 3,582 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is death with 539 submissions, followed by off label use and drug ineffective.

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.