Drug side effects
remdesivir Side Effects
The reactions most often reported to the FDA for remdesivir (also sold as Veklury), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 13,113
- FAERS reports
Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2018 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 remdesivir come from 13,113 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.
This page analyzes 13,113 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for remdesivir (Veklury): 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
13,113
Reports Mentioning Death
3,250
24.8% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death
Hospitalizations
4,426
33.8% of reports
Top Indication
Covid-19
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 3,250 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 747 |
| COVID-19 | 397 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 334 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 253 |
| CARDIAC ARREST | 220 |
| MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME | 214 |
| COVID-19 PNEUMONIA | 203 |
| SEPTIC SHOCK | 194 |
| HYPOXIA | 158 |
| CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 150 |
| HYPOTENSION | 114 |
| ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME | 111 |
| PNEUMONIA | 111 |
| SEPSIS | 111 |
| RENAL FAILURE | 110 |
| ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 107 |
| DRUG INEFFECTIVE FOR UNAPPROVED INDICATION | 102 |
| GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION | 86 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 4,426 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 | 557 |
| COVID-19 PNEUMONIA | 314 |
| DRUG INEFFECTIVE FOR UNAPPROVED INDICATION | 283 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 241 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 228 |
| PNEUMONIA | 175 |
| BRADYCARDIA | 164 |
| SEPTIC SHOCK | 148 |
| DRUG INTERACTION | 145 |
| CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 142 |
| BRONCHOPULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS | 124 |
| DYSPNOEA | 118 |
| DEATH | 117 |
| MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME | 111 |
| ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE INCREASED | 110 |
| RENAL IMPAIRMENT | 105 |
| CARDIAC ARREST | 104 |
| ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE INCREASED | 101 |
Nearby, Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About remdesivir Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 13,113 voluntary reports linked to remdesivir and its brand equivalents (Veklury), spanning 2018 through 2025. Of those, 3,250 (24.8%) listed death as an outcome and 4,426 (33.8%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Covid-19.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 40% were female and 60% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 3,630 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is alanine aminotransferase increased with 933 submissions, followed by covid-19 and death.
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 remdesivir's 13,113.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.