Prescription medication · CYP17 Inhibitor
abiraterone
Also sold as Zytiga. Abiraterone is used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 12,794
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 7
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $1.08
- Generic price (NADAC)
What the data shows
abiraterone (Zytiga) is a prescription CYP17 Inhibitor, reported less often than most tracked drugs (12,794 FDA reports), with 7 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
abiraterone (Zytiga) is a prescription CYP17 Inhibitor. Abiraterone is used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Abiraterone (Zytiga) is a medicine used with prednisone to treat prostate cancer that has spread. It works by lowering the amount of androgen your body makes.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$1.08/unit
Generic Available
Yes (11 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Abiraterone is used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Common side effects
Feeling tired, Joint pain, High blood pressure
Key warnings
Abiraterone can cause problems with mineralocorticoid excess, like high blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from abiraterone's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Abiraterone blocks an enzyme called CYP17, which your body needs to make androgens. Androgens can help prostate cancer grow. By blocking this enzyme, abiraterone lowers androgen levels and slows cancer growth.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 12,794 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for abiraterone, by number of reports
- Death
Death
1,390 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
1,023 reports
- Hot Flush
Hot Flush
678 reports
- Asthenia
Asthenia
562 reports
- Disease Progression
Disease Progression
561 reports
- Prostatic Specific Antigen Increased 544
Prostatic Specific Antigen Increased
544 reports
- Therapy Interrupted 453
Therapy Interrupted
453 reports
- Fall 434
Fall
434 reports
- Anaemia 408
Anaemia
408 reports
- Malignant Neoplasm Progression 391
Malignant Neoplasm Progression
391 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for abiraterone each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where abiraterone sits
abiraterone has more FDA adverse-event reports than 44% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is abiraterone; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 12,794 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2010–2025.
Total Reports
12,794
Reports Mentioning Death
2,176
17.0% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
4,866
Top Indication
Prostate Cancer
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEATH | 1,390 |
| 2 | FATIGUE | 1,023 |
| 3 | HOT FLUSH | 678 |
| 4 | ASTHENIA | 562 |
| 5 | DISEASE PROGRESSION | 561 |
| 6 | PROSTATIC SPECIFIC ANTIGEN INCREASED | 544 |
| 8 | THERAPY INTERRUPTED | 453 |
| 9 | FALL | 434 |
| 10 | ANAEMIA | 408 |
| 11 | MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 391 |
| 12 | DIARRHOEA | 388 |
| 13 | NAUSEA | 351 |
| 14 | PROSTATE CANCER | 351 |
| 15 | HYPOKALAEMIA | 346 |
| 16 | HYPERTENSION | 334 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Abiraterone can cause problems with mineralocorticoid excess, like high blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention. If you have heart problems, your doctor will monitor you closely. This medicine can also cause liver problems, which can be severe. Your doctor will check your liver function regularly. Do not take abiraterone with radium Ra 223 dichloride. Abiraterone can harm an unborn baby, so men should use effective birth control if their partner can get pregnant.
Known Drug Interactions
Avoid co-administration of abiraterone acetate with substrates of CYP2D6 with a narrow therapeutic index (e.g., thioridazine).
Mechanism: Abiraterone interferes with the enzyme that breaks down thioridazine. Because thioridazine has a very narrow safety range, even a small increase in its levels could lead to dangerous side effects.
• Abiraterone: May increase prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ( 7.7 ). 7.7 Abiraterone Spironolactone binds to the androgen receptor and may increase prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in abiraterone-treated prostate cancer patients. Concomitant use of spironolactone and abiraterone is not recommended.
Mechanism: Spironolactone can interfere with the way abiraterone works against prostate cancer and may cause certain lab tests to show higher cancer markers. This makes it difficult for your doctor to track your progress.
In a CYP2D6 drug-drug interaction trial, the C max and AUC of dextromethorphan (CYP2D6 substrate) were increased 2.8- and 2.9-fold, respectively, when dextromethorphan was given with abiraterone acetate 1,000 mg daily and prednisone 5 mg twice daily.
Mechanism: Taking these two drugs together can change how your liver processes other common medications, potentially causing those other drugs to build up in your system.
In a CYP2C8 drug-drug interaction trial in healthy subjects, the AUC of pioglitazone (CYP2C8 substrate) was increased by 46% when pioglitazone was given together with a single dose of 1,000 mg abiraterone acetate.
Mechanism: Abiraterone blocks a protein in the liver that normally breaks down pioglitazone. This causes pioglitazone to stay in your body longer and reach higher levels.
In a dedicated drug interaction trial, co-administration of ketoconazole, a strong inhibitor of CYP3A4, had no clinically meaningful effect on the pharmacokinetics of abiraterone [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Mechanism: Ketoconazole does not change how your body processes abiraterone. There is no significant interaction between these two drugs.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What should I do if I experience side effects?
Can I take abiraterone with food?
Will I need blood tests while taking this medicine?
What if I have liver problems?
Can abiraterone be used in women?
What if I am taking other medications?
How long will I need to take abiraterone?
Can I crush or chew the tablets?
What if I have diabetes?
Are there any contraindications?
What are the common side effects of abiraterone?
Does abiraterone interact with other medications?
What drug class is abiraterone?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for abiraterone?
Related Medications in CYP17 Inhibitor
Other drugs grouped near abiraterone - same-class peers and common alternatives.
anastrozole
Arimidex
Anastrozole is a medicine used to treat breast cancer in women after menopause.
Compare with abiraterone →
bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens
Duavee
Duavee is a combination medicine containing estrogen and a drug that blocks estrogen in some parts of the body.
Compare with abiraterone →
cabergoline
Dostinex
Cabergoline is a medicine that helps lower the amount of prolactin in your body.
Compare with abiraterone →
clomiphene
Clomid, Serophene
Clomiphene citrate is a medicine that helps women ovulate.
Compare with abiraterone →
conjugated estrogens
Premarin
Premarin Intravenous is an injectable medicine that contains estrogen hormones.
Compare with abiraterone →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for abiraterone: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 12,794.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 17.01%.
- desipramine Δ 0.01 pts · 1,275 reports · Tricyclic Antidepressant (TCA) 17.02%death share
- dapagliflozin Δ 0.02 pts · 50,521 reports · SGLT2 Inhibitor 17.03%death share
- ceftriaxone Δ 0.19 pts · 31,340 reports · Third-Generation Cephalosporin 17.20%death share
- amiodarone Δ 0.27 pts · 10,687 reports · Class III Antiarrhythmic 17.28%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for abiraterone
The FDA label for abiraterone (sold under brand names such as Zytiga) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the CYP17 Inhibitor class. Abiraterone is used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Official labeling lists 12 commonly reported side effects, including Feeling tired, Joint pain, High blood pressure.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 12,794 voluntary reports. The database also lists 7 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $1.08.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: March 17, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages