Amikacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Amikacin is an aminoglycoside antibacterial sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for acinetobacter infections, infectious bone diseases and burns. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Aminoglycoside Antibacterial
- Treats (across its forms)
- Acinetobacter Infections, Infectious Bone Diseases and Burns
- Available as
- Injectable · Suspension
- Sold as
- 3 products — Amikacin Sulfate in Sodium Chloride 0.9% in Plastic Container, Amikin in Sodium Chloride 0.9% in Plastic Container and Arikayce Kit
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Arikayce Kit is dosed
From the FDA label for Arikayce Kit (application NDA207356). Other amikacin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
For oral inhalation use only. ( 2.1 ) Use ARIKAYCE vials only with the Lamira Nebulizer System. ( 2.1 ) Pre-treatment with inhaled bronchodilator should be considered in patients with a history of hyperreactive airway disease. ( 2.1 ) The recommended dosage in adults is once daily oral inhalation of the contents of one 590 mg/8.4 mL ARIKAYCE vial. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions ARIKAYCE is for oral inhalation use only. Administer by nebulization only with the Lamira ® Nebulizer System. Refer to the Instructions for Use for full administration information on use of ARIKAYCE with the Lamira Nebulizer System. Instruct patients using a bronchodilator ('reliever') to first use the bronchodilator following the bronchodilator leaflet for use information before using ARIKAYCE. Pre-treatment with short-acting selective beta-2 agonists should be considered for patients with known hyperreactive airway disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or bronchospasm [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] . 2.2 Recommended Dosage The recommended dosage of ARIKAYCE in adults is once daily inhalation of the contents of one 590 mg/8.4 mL ARIKAYCE vial (590 mg of amikacin) using the Lamira Nebulizer System [see Clinical Studies (14) ] . Administer ARIKAYCE with the Lamira Nebulizer System only. ARIKAYCE should be at room temperature before use. Prior to opening, shake…
Everything below is the FDA label for Arikayce Kit (suspension). Amikacin is also sold as injectable, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Arikayce Kit side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described in greater detail in other sections of labeling: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Hemoptysis [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Bronchospasm [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Exacerbation of Underlying Pulmonary Disease [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Anaphylaxis and Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Ototoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Nephrotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Neuromuscular Blockade [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥10% and higher than control) in the patients with refractory MAC lung disease were: dysphonia, cough, bronchospasm, hemoptysis, musculoskeletal pain, upper airway irritation, ototoxicity, fatigue/asthenia, exacerbation of underlying pulmonary disease, diarrhea, nausea, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Insmed Incorporated at 1-844-4-INSMED or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience 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…
Who shouldn’t take Arikayce Kit
ARIKAYCE is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to any aminoglycoside. ARIKAYCE is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to any aminoglycoside. ( 4 )
Arikayce Kit drug interactions
7.1 Drugs with Neurotoxic, Nephrotoxic, or Ototoxic Potential Avoid concomitant use of ARIKAYCE with medications associated with neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and ototoxicity. 7.2 Ethacrynic Acid, Furosemide, Urea, or Mannitol Some diuretics can enhance aminoglycoside toxicity by altering aminoglycoside concentrations in serum and tissue. Avoid concomitant use of ARIKAYCE with ethacrynic acid, furosemide, urea, or intravenous mannitol.
Every amikacin product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → |
How long amikacin keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some amikacin labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.
Does amikacin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsAmikacin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for amikacin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadAmikacin is poorly excreted into breastmilk. Newborn infants apparently absorb small amounts of other aminoglycosides, but serum levels with typical three times daily dosages are far below those attained when treating newborn infections and systemic effects of amikacin are unlikely. Older infants would be expected to absorb even less amikacin. Because there is little variability in the milk amikacin levels during multiple daily dose regimens, timing breastfeeding with respect to the dose is of little or no benefit in reducing infant exposure. Data are not available with single daily dose regimens. Monitor the infant for possible effects on the gastrointestinal flora, such as diarrhea, candidiasis (e.g., thrush, diaper rash) or rarely, blood in the stool indicating possible antibiotic-associated colitis.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised October 15, 2023. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about amikacin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,807 reports naming amikacin, and the FDA flagged 94% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- pyrexia168 reports
- nausea100 reports
- pneumonia91 reports
- sepsis85 reports
- diarrhoea83 reports
- dyspnoea78 reports
- vomiting78 reports
- acute kidney injury74 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean amikacin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Arikayce Kit?
Arikayce Kit (Amikacin Sulfate) is an aminoglycoside antibacterial used to treat Acinetobacter Infections, Infectious Bone Diseases, Burns, Central Nervous System Infections.
What kind of drug is amikacin?
The FDA classifies amikacin as an aminoglycoside antibacterial. Aminoglycosides kill bacteria by latching onto the germ's protein-making machinery (the 30S ribosomal subunit). This jams and misreads the bacterial genetic code so the microbe builds faulty proteins it can't survive on, which is why these drugs destroy the bacteria rather than just stopping their growth. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take amikacin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run amikacin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is amikacin sold under?
We track 3 amikacin-containing products in the U.S.: Amikacin Sulfate in Sodium Chloride 0.9% in Plastic Container, Amikin in Sodium Chloride 0.9% in Plastic Container and Arikayce Kit. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does amikacin come in?
Across the brands we track, amikacin is currently marketed as injectable and suspension, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic amikacin?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic amikacin product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Amikacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/amikacin
- MLA
- “Amikacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/amikacin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for amikacin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.