Prescription medicine
Caspofungin Brand names: Cancidas
Caspofungin (Cancidas) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 2001. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 5 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
- A presentation discontinued
Check it at the source: the caspofungin FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 11, 2024, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC); the NDA 21227 record on Drugs@FDA; every caspofungin label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of October 11, 2024; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageCANCIDAS is an echinocandin antifungal indicated in adults and pediatric patients (3 months of age and older) for: Empirical therapy for presumed fungal infections in febrile, neutropenic patients.
Forms and strengths
- 5 mg/ml
- 7 mg/ml
Injection (powder) (lyophilized) for solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 26, 2001 Cancidas, Merck; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 7 first September 29, 2017; 3 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 7 of which 5 under generic applications, 2 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- December 21, 2032 Caspofungin Acetate injection; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- Not in the survey
- Shortage (FDA)
- None current 3 past records
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 0 since 2022 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 4,684 through July 30, 2026
What is caspofungin used for?
From the label: indications and usageCANCIDAS is an echinocandin antifungal indicated in adults and pediatric patients (3 months of age and older) for: Empirical therapy for presumed fungal infections in febrile, neutropenic patients. ( 1 ) Treatment of candidemia and the following Candida infections: intra-abdominal abscesses, peritonitis and pleural space infections. ( 1 ) Treatment of esophageal candidiasis. ( 1 ) Treatment of invasive aspergillosis in patients who are refractory to or intolerant of other therapies. […]
Conditions named in the indications of caspofungin's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
FDA pharmacologic class: Echinocandin Antifungal.
Source: FDA drug label (CANCIDAS), Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, effective October 11, 2024 (SPL set 3bad23a6-09a6-4194-9182-093ed61bc71c), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for caspofungin (Cancidas)?
The FDA approved the first generic caspofungin on September 29, 2017. 7 generic applications are approved; 3 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists caspofungin from 5 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 2 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
The Orange Book lists no patent for Cancidas injection; a patent listed only for Caspofungin Acetate injection runs to December 21, 2032. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 2001 earliest approval on file
- 2017 first generic approved
- 2032 last listed patent
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
Is caspofungin in shortage?
No caspofungin presentation is listed as in shortage in the FDA Drug Shortage Database (read October 8, 2026); its 3 records are all marked to be discontinued, the latest updated June 30, 2026. ASHP keeps a separate shortage list, which can differ.
| Presentation | Company | Status | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caspofungin Acetate, Injection, 5 mg/1 mL (NDC 0781-3421-94) | Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. (US Agent eVenus Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Inc.) | To Be Discontinued | June 30, 2026 |
| Caspofungin Acetate, Injection, 7 mg/1 mL (NDC 0781-3423-94) | Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. (US Agent eVenus Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Inc.) | To Be Discontinued | June 30, 2026 |
| Caspofungin Acetate, Injection, 7 mg/1 mL (NDC 63323-358-10) | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | To Be Discontinued | January 12, 2026 |
Source: FDA Drug Shortage Database via openFDA, updated October 8, 2026
Has caspofungin been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 1 recall naming caspofungin since 2022: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of caspofungin and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 27, 2022 | Class II | Sentara Infusion Services not a listed maker | Lack of sterility assurance |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the caspofungin label say about other medicines?
The caspofungin label names 8 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 1 other medicine name caspofungin. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Carbamazepine | drug interactions | Other Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Adults: When CANCIDAS is co-administered to adult patients with other inducers of hepatic CYP enzymes, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, administration of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered [see Dosage and Administration … |
| Cyclosporine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Cyclosporine: In two adult clinical studies, cyclosporine (one 4 mg/kg dose or two 3 mg/kg doses) increased the AUC of CANCIDAS. |
| Dexamethasone | drug interactions | Other Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Adults: When CANCIDAS is co-administered to adult patients with other inducers of hepatic CYP enzymes, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, administration of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered [see Dosage and Administration … |
| Efavirenz | drug interactions | Other Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Adults: When CANCIDAS is co-administered to adult patients with other inducers of hepatic CYP enzymes, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, administration of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered [see Dosage and Administration … |
| Nevirapine | drug interactions | Other Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Adults: When CANCIDAS is co-administered to adult patients with other inducers of hepatic CYP enzymes, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, administration of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered [see Dosage and Administration … |
| Phenytoin | drug interactions | Other Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Adults: When CANCIDAS is co-administered to adult patients with other inducers of hepatic CYP enzymes, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, administration of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered [see Dosage and Administration … |
| Rifampin | drug interactions | Inducers of Hepatic CYP Enzymes Rifampin: Rifampin is a potent CYP3A4 inducer and concomitant administration with CANCIDAS is expected to reduce the plasma concentrations of CANCIDAS. |
| Tacrolimus | drug interactions | For patients receiving CANCIDAS and tacrolimus, standard monitoring of tacrolimus trough whole blood concentrations and appropriate tacrolimus dosage adjustments are recommended. |
Source: FDA drug label (CANCIDAS), Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, effective October 11, 2024 (SPL set 3bad23a6-09a6-4194-9182-093ed61bc71c), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for caspofungin?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 4,684 reports that list caspofungin among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,668 are coded as a death and 2,028 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as caspofungin?
6 other medicines are given the same way (intravenous) and in the same FDA class as caspofungin or labeled mainly for the same use (fungal infections), the same class first. Fungal infections lists all 33 medicines labeled for it, by any route. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (intravenous) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micafungin | Fungal infections | 10 labelers | n/a | A presentation being discontinued |
| Anidulafungin | Fungal infections | none listed | n/a | No current entry |
| Voriconazole | Fungal infections | 12 labelers | n/a | A presentation being discontinued |
| Fluconazole | Fungal infections | 4 labelers | n/a | No current entry |
| Posaconazole | Fungal infections | 7 labelers | n/a | A presentation being discontinued |
| Amphotericin b | Fungal infections | 5 labelers | n/a | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as caspofungin
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does caspofungin compare with medicines for the same use?
3 side-by-side pages set caspofungin beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to caspofungin
- 6 medicines for the same use
- Other echinocandin antifungals
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Caspofungin side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Caspofungin shortage record
- every presentation, company and date
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other