Prescription medication · Second-Generation Cephalosporin
cefuroxime
Also sold as Ceftin, Zinacef. Cefuroxime treats infections caused by bacteria.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 11,087
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 1
- InteractionFew interactions
- 1
- Recall record
What the data shows
cefuroxime (Ceftin) is a prescription Second-Generation Cephalosporin, reported less often than most tracked drugs (11,087 FDA reports), with 1 documented drug interaction.
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.
cefuroxime (Ceftin) is a prescription Second-Generation Cephalosporin. Cefuroxime treats infections caused by bacteria.
Cefuroxime is an antibiotic that fights bacterial infections. It belongs to a class of drugs called cephalosporins.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.26/unit
Generic Available
Yes (5 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Cefuroxime treats infections caused by bacteria.
Common side effects
Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting
Key warnings
Cefuroxime can cause severe allergic reactions.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from cefuroxime's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Cefuroxime works by stopping the growth of bacteria. It prevents bacteria from forming the cell walls they need to survive. This kills the bacteria and helps your body fight off the infection.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 11,087 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for cefuroxime, by number of reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
738 reports
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia
607 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
591 reports
- Renal Failure
Renal Failure
581 reports
- Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
573 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
573 reports
- Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
561 reports
- Anxiety
Anxiety
445 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
438 reports
- Condition Aggravated
Condition Aggravated
436 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 cefuroxime 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 cefuroxime sits
cefuroxime has more FDA adverse-event reports than 41% 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 cefuroxime; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 11,087 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
11,087
Reports Mentioning Death
1,324
11.9% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
5,229
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DYSPNOEA | 738 |
| 3 | PNEUMONIA | 607 |
| 4 | PYREXIA | 591 |
| 6 | RENAL FAILURE | 581 |
| 7 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 573 |
| 8 | DIARRHOEA | 573 |
| 9 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 561 |
| 10 | ANXIETY | 445 |
| 11 | FATIGUE | 438 |
| 12 | CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 436 |
| 13 | NAUSEA | 433 |
| 14 | PAIN | 419 |
| 15 | RASH | 397 |
| 16 | VOMITING | 395 |
| 17 | HEADACHE | 376 |
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
Cefuroxime can cause severe allergic reactions. If you are allergic to penicillins or other beta-lactam antibiotics, you should not take this medicine. Diarrhea can occur with almost all antibiotics, including cefuroxime, and can be severe. Tell your doctor if you have diarrhea while taking this medicine.
Known Drug Interactions
( 7.1 ) Coadministration with probenecid increases systemic exposure to cefuroxime axetil and is therefore not recommended. 7.2 Probenecid Concomitant administration of probenecid with cefuroxime axetil tablets increases serum concentrations of cefuroxime [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )]. Coadministration of probenecid with cefuroxime axetil is not recommended.
Mechanism: Probenecid slows down the kidneys from removing the antibiotic from your blood. This leads to higher levels of the antibiotic in your body.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I crush the tablet if I have trouble swallowing?
Can I take this with antacids?
What should I do if I get a rash while taking this?
Can this medicine affect my blood sugar?
How long should I take this medicine?
Can I drink alcohol while taking cefuroxime?
What if my symptoms don't improve?
Is it okay to share this medicine with someone else?
What if I accidentally take too much?
Can cefuroxime cause a yeast infection?
What are the common side effects of cefuroxime?
Does cefuroxime interact with other medications?
What drug class is cefuroxime?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for cefuroxime?
Has cefuroxime been recalled?
Active Recalls
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: FDA inspection found the recalled products were produced in a manner than cannot guarantee the sterility of the products purported to be sterile.
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Related Medications in Second-Generation Cephalosporin
Other drugs grouped near cefuroxime - same-class peers and common alternatives.
amikacin
Amikin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine.
Compare with cefuroxime →
amoxicillin
Amoxil
Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium is a combination medicine used to fight bacterial infections.
Compare with cefuroxime →
amoxicillin/clavulanate
Augmentin
Augmentin is a combination of two medicines, amoxicillin and clavulanate.
Compare with cefuroxime →
ampicillin/sulbactam
Unasyn
Unasyn is a combination of two antibiotics that fights bacteria in your body.
Compare with cefuroxime →
azithromycin
Zithromax, Z-Pack
Azithromycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.
Compare with cefuroxime →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for cefuroxime: 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: 11,087.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 11.94%.
- zolpidem Δ 0.02 pts · 131,653 reports · Non-Benzodiazepine Hypnotic (Z-Drug) 11.92%death share
- colchicine Δ 0.04 pts · 28,502 reports · Anti-Gout Agent 11.99%death share
- exemestane Δ 0.07 pts · 20,856 reports · Aromatase Inhibitor (Steroidal) 11.88%death share
- tobramycin Δ 0.07 pts · 23,287 reports · Aminoglycoside Antibiotic 11.87%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
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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 cefuroxime
The FDA label for cefuroxime (sold under brand names such as Ceftin, Zinacef) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Second-Generation Cephalosporin class. Cefuroxime treats infections caused by bacteria. Official labeling lists 4 commonly reported side effects, including Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 11,087 voluntary reports. The database also lists 1 documented drug interaction derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.26.
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 (currently 1 recall record on file), 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 16, 2023
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 from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
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