Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
The safety of Famotidine Injection has been established based on adequate and well-controlled studies of an oral famotidine product. The following is a summary of the adverse reactions reported in those studies.
Oral famotidine was studied in 7 U.S. and international placebo- and active-controlled trials in approximately 2,500 patients. A total of 1,442 patients were treated with oral famotidine, including 302 treated with 40 mg twice daily, 456 treated with 20 mg twice daily, 461 treated with 40 mg once daily, and 396 treated with 20 mg once daily. The population was 17 to 91 years old, fairly well distributed between sex and race; however, the predominant race was White.
Adverse reactions reported in ≥1% of patients treated with oral famotidine in clinical trials were: headache, dizziness, constipation, and diarrhea.
The following other adverse reactions were reported in less than 1% of patients treated with oral famotidine in clinical trials:
Body as a Whole: fever, asthenia, fatigue
Cardiovascular: palpitations
Gastrointestinal: cholestatic jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, vomiting, nausea, abdominal discomfort, anorexia, dry mouth
Hematologic: thrombocytopenia
Hypersensitivity: orbital edema, rash, conjunctival injection, bronchospasm
Musculoskeletal: musculoskeletal pain, arthralgia
Nervous System/Psychiatric: seizure, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, decreased libido, insomnia, somnolence
Respiratory: interstitial pneumonia
Skin: pruritus, dry skin, flushing
Special Senses: tinnitus, taste disorder
Other: impotence
Adverse reactions reported with oral famotidine may also occur with Famotidine Injection. In addition, transient irritation at the injection site was reported with intravenous famotidine.