Prescription medication · IL-6 Receptor Antagonist
sarilumab
Also sold as Kevzara. Kevzara treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults when other medicines have not worked well enough.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 23,683
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 5
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $1852.54
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
sarilumab (Kevzara) is a prescription IL-6 Receptor Antagonist, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (23,683 FDA reports), with 5 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.
sarilumab (Kevzara) is a prescription IL-6 Receptor Antagonist. Kevzara treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults when other medicines have not worked well enough.
Kevzara is a medicine that can help treat rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It works by blocking a protein in your body that causes inflammation.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$1852.54/unit
Generic Available
No
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Kevzara treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults when other medicines have not worked well enough.
Common side effects
Low white blood cell count (neutropenia), Increased liver enzyme levels, Redness at the injection site
Key warnings
Kevzara can increase your risk of serious infections that could lead to hospitalization or death.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from sarilumab's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Kevzara is an interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist. This means it blocks the IL-6 receptor. By blocking this receptor, Kevzara reduces inflammation in your body.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 23,683 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for sarilumab, by number of reports
- Pain
Pain
5,313 reports
- Arthralgia
Arthralgia
4,655 reports
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
4,395 reports
- Joint Swelling
Joint Swelling
4,362 reports
- Condition Aggravated
Condition Aggravated
3,580 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
3,334 reports
- Rash
Rash
3,212 reports
- Alopecia
Alopecia
2,969 reports
- Abdominal Discomfort
Abdominal Discomfort
2,906 reports
- Hepatic Enzyme Increased
Hepatic Enzyme Increased
2,858 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 sarilumab 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 sarilumab sits
sarilumab has more FDA adverse-event reports than 59% 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 sarilumab; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 23,683 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2015–2025.
Total Reports
23,683
Reports Mentioning Death
2,313
9.8% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
4,047
Top Indication
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | PAIN | 5,313 |
| 3 | ARTHRALGIA | 4,655 |
| 4 | RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS | 4,395 |
| 5 | JOINT SWELLING | 4,362 |
| 6 | CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 3,580 |
| 7 | FATIGUE | 3,334 |
| 8 | RASH | 3,212 |
| 9 | ALOPECIA | 2,969 |
| 10 | ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT | 2,906 |
| 11 | HEPATIC ENZYME INCREASED | 2,858 |
| 12 | SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS | 2,780 |
| 13 | PEMPHIGUS | 2,721 |
| 14 | HAND DEFORMITY | 2,643 |
| 15 | GLOSSODYNIA | 2,625 |
| 16 | SYNOVITIS | 2,621 |
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
Kevzara can increase your risk of serious infections that could lead to hospitalization or death. Tell your doctor if you have an active infection before starting Kevzara. Your doctor should test you for tuberculosis (TB) before you start Kevzara. If you get a serious infection, your doctor will stop Kevzara treatment until the infection is controlled.
Known Drug Interactions
Exercise caution when co-administering KEVZARA with CYP3A4 substrate drugs where decrease in effectiveness is undesirable, e.g., oral contraceptives, lovastatin, atorvastatin, etc.
Mechanism: Sarilumab can make your body process atorvastatin more quickly than usual. This can make the atorvastatin less effective at lowering your cholesterol.
Exercise caution when co-administering KEVZARA with CYP3A4 substrate drugs where decrease in effectiveness is undesirable, e.g., oral contraceptives, lovastatin, atorvastatin, etc.
Mechanism: Sarilumab speeds up the way your body gets rid of lovastatin. This reduces the amount of medicine in your system, making it less effective.
Upon initiation or discontinuation of KEVZARA, in patients being treated with CYP substrate medicinal products, perform therapeutic monitoring of effect (e.g., warfarin) or drug concentration (e.g., theophylline) and adjust the individual dose of the medicinal product as needed.
Mechanism: Sarilumab can change how quickly your body breaks down warfarin, which can affect how much your blood is thinned. This could lead to your blood being too thick or too thin.
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS 7.1 Use with Other Drugs Population pharmacokinetic analyses did not detect any effect of methotrexate (MTX) on sarilumab clearance.
Mechanism: Methotrexate does not affect how the body processes or removes sarilumab.
Upon initiation or discontinuation of KEVZARA, in patients being treated with CYP substrate medicinal products, perform therapeutic monitoring of effect (e.g., warfarin) or drug concentration (e.g., theophylline) and adjust the individual dose of the medicinal product as needed.
Mechanism: Sarilumab can change how the liver breaks down theophylline, which might change the amount of medicine in your blood.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What should I tell my doctor before taking Kevzara?
Can I take Kevzara with other medicines?
How will my doctor monitor me while I'm taking Kevzara?
Can I get vaccines while taking Kevzara?
What are the signs of a serious infection?
What should I do if I have side effects?
Can Kevzara affect my cholesterol?
Is it safe to take Kevzara if I have diabetes?
How is Kevzara supplied?
What if I accidentally leave Kevzara out of the refrigerator?
What are the common side effects of sarilumab?
Does sarilumab interact with other medications?
What drug class is sarilumab?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for sarilumab?
Related Medications in IL-6 Receptor Antagonist
Other drugs grouped near sarilumab - same-class peers and common alternatives.
abatacept
Orencia
Orencia is a medicine that helps to reduce inflammation.
Compare with sarilumab →
acetaminophen
Tylenol
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a medicine that can relieve pain and reduce fever.
Compare with sarilumab →
acetaminophen/hydrocodone
Vicodin, Norco
This medicine contains acetaminophen and hydrocodone.
Compare with sarilumab →
acetaminophen/oxycodone
Percocet
Percocet is a strong pain medicine.
Compare with sarilumab →
adalimumab
Humira
Idacio is a medicine that blocks a protein called TNF.
Compare with sarilumab →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for sarilumab: 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: 23,683.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 9.77%.
- doxycycline Δ 0.00 pts · 64,488 reports · Tetracycline Antibiotic 9.76%death share
- nebivolol Δ 0.00 pts · 14,997 reports · Beta-1 Selective Blocker 9.76%death share
- promethazine Δ 0.01 pts · 17,969 reports · Phenothiazine Antiemetic / Antihistamine 9.76%death share
- cyanocobalamin Δ 0.02 pts · 31,083 reports · Vitamin B12 Supplement 9.78%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 sarilumab
The FDA label for sarilumab (sold under brand names such as Kevzara) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the IL-6 Receptor Antagonist class. Kevzara treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults when other medicines have not worked well enough. Official labeling lists 8 commonly reported side effects, including Low white blood cell count (neutropenia), Increased liver enzyme levels, Redness at the injection site.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 23,683 voluntary reports. The database also lists 5 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS.
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: May 16, 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