Prescription medication · Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotic
oritavancin
Also sold as Orbactiv. KIMYRSA treats acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in adults.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 896
- FDA reportsRarely reported
- 2
- InteractionsFew interactions
- Rx
- Availability
What the data shows
oritavancin (Orbactiv) is a prescription Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotic, among the least-reported drugs the FDA tracks (896 FDA reports), with 2 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.
oritavancin (Orbactiv) is a prescription Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotic. KIMYRSA treats acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in adults.
KIMYRSA is an antibiotic medicine. It is used to treat serious skin infections caused by certain bacteria.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
What it does
KIMYRSA treats acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in adults.
Common side effects
Headache, Nausea, Vomiting
Key warnings
You should not take KIMYRSA if you are using intravenous heparin.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from oritavancin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
KIMYRSA is a lipoglycopeptide antibiotic. It works by stopping bacteria from building their cell walls. This kills the bacteria and helps to clear the infection.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 896 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for oritavancin, by number of reports
- Pruritus
Pruritus
162 reports
- Urticaria
Urticaria
105 reports
- Rash
Rash
84 reports
- Chills
Chills
83 reports
- Back Pain
Back Pain
81 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
74 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
67 reports
- Infusion Related Reaction 60
Infusion Related Reaction
60 reports
- Erythema 58
Erythema
58 reports
- Chest Pain 54
Chest Pain
54 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 oritavancin 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 oritavancin sits
oritavancin has more FDA adverse-event reports than 6% 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 oritavancin; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 896 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2014–2025.
Total Reports
896
Reports Mentioning Death
30
3.3% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
161
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | PRURITUS | 162 |
| 3 | URTICARIA | 105 |
| 4 | RASH | 84 |
| 5 | CHILLS | 83 |
| 6 | BACK PAIN | 81 |
| 7 | DYSPNOEA | 74 |
| 8 | NAUSEA | 67 |
| 9 | INFUSION RELATED REACTION | 60 |
| 10 | ERYTHEMA | 58 |
| 11 | CHEST PAIN | 54 |
| 13 | FLUSHING | 41 |
| 14 | VOMITING | 41 |
| 15 | HEADACHE | 39 |
| 16 | RED MAN SYNDROME | 38 |
| 18 | TREMOR | 35 |
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
You should not take KIMYRSA if you are using intravenous heparin. Do not use heparin for 5 days (120 hours) after getting KIMYRSA. Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported. Tell your doctor right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction.
Known Drug Interactions
A drug-drug interaction study that assessed the interaction potential of a single 1,200 mg dose of oritavancin on the pharmacokinetics of S-warfarin (CYP2C9 probe substrate) showed no effect of oritavancin on S-warfarin C max or AUC. Patients should be closely monitored for signs of toxicity or lack of efficacy if they have been given KIMYRSA while on a potentially affected compound (e.g., patients should be monitored for bleeding if concomitantly receiving KIMYRSA and warfarin).
Mechanism: Even though oritavancin does not change the amount of warfarin in your blood, taking them together might still increase the risk of side effects.
In addition, oritavancin does not affect tests that are used for diagnosis of Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT).
Mechanism: Oritavancin does not interfere with the blood tests used to find a specific type of heparin allergy.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What if I am allergic to similar antibiotics?
Can KIMYRSA affect my blood tests?
What should I do if I get diarrhea while taking KIMYRSA?
Can I take KIMYRSA if I have kidney problems?
Can I take KIMYRSA if I have liver problems?
Will KIMYRSA interact with other medications I am taking?
What if I experience side effects from KIMYRSA?
How long does KIMYRSA stay in my system?
Can KIMYRSA cause infusion-related reactions?
What if I think I have osteomyelitis?
What are the common side effects of oritavancin?
Does oritavancin interact with other medications?
What drug class is oritavancin?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for oritavancin?
Related Medications in Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotic
Other drugs grouped near oritavancin - same-class peers and common alternatives.
amikacin
Amikin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine.
Compare with oritavancin →
amoxicillin
Amoxil
Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium is a combination medicine used to fight bacterial infections.
Compare with oritavancin →
amoxicillin/clavulanate
Augmentin
Augmentin is a combination of two medicines, amoxicillin and clavulanate.
Compare with oritavancin →
ampicillin/sulbactam
Unasyn
Unasyn is a combination of two antibiotics that fights bacteria in your body.
Compare with oritavancin →
azithromycin
Zithromax, Z-Pack
Azithromycin is an antibiotic that fights bacteria.
Compare with oritavancin →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for oritavancin: 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: 896.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 3.35%.
- vilazodone Δ 0.01 pts · 9,764 reports · SSRI / 5-HT1A Partial Agonist 3.36%death share
- exenatide Δ 0.02 pts · 52,302 reports · GLP-1 Receptor Agonist 3.37%death share
- permethrin Δ 0.11 pts · 1,707 reports · Topical Antiparasitic 3.46%death share
- pegloticase Δ 0.15 pts · 3,350 reports · Recombinant Uricase 3.19%death share
Medication Guides
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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 oritavancin
The FDA label for oritavancin (sold under brand names such as Orbactiv) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotic class. KIMYRSA treats acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in adults. Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Headache, Nausea, Vomiting.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 896 voluntary reports. The database also lists 2 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
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).
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: December 18, 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 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