Cisplatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Cisplatin is a platinum-based drug sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for astrocytoma, urinary bladder neoplasms and breast neoplasms. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Platinum-Based Drug
- Treats (across its forms)
- Astrocytoma, Urinary Bladder Neoplasms and Breast Neoplasms
- Available as
- Injectable · Solution
- Sold as
- 3 products — Cisplatin, Platinol and Platinol-Aq
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Cisplatin is dosed
From the FDA label for Cisplatin (application ANDA206774). Other cisplatin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Administer pre-treatment hydration and pre- and post-treatment antiemetics. ( 2.1 ) • Cisplatin injection has been administered intravenously at: Advanced testicular cancer: 20 mg/m2 daily for 5 days per cycle ( 2.2 ) Advanced ovarian cancer: 75 mg/m2 to 100 mg/m2 per cycle once every 3 to 4 weeks ( 2.3 ) Advanced bladder cancer: 50 mg/m2 to 70 mg/m2 intravenously per cycle once every 3 to 4 weeks ( 2.4 ) Refer to current treatment guidelines for specific dosing information. • Administer by slow intravenous infusion. Avoid contact of cisplatin injection with aluminum parts. ( 2.6 ) 2.1 Hydration and Anti-Emetic Treatment Patients treated with cisplatin injection must receive appropriate pre-treatment hydration. Maintain adequate hydration and urinary output for 24 hours after cisplatin injection administration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . Administer pre-treatment and post-treatment antiemetics as appropriate [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] . 2.2 Advanced Testicular Cancer Cisplatin injection has been administered at 20 mg/m 2 intravenously daily for 5 days per cycle. Other doses and combination regimens have been used. 2.3 Advanced Ovarian Cancer Cisplatin injection has been administered at 75 mg/m 2 to 100 mg/m 2 intravenously per cycle once every 3 to 4 weeks on Day 1. Other doses and combination regimens have been used. 2.4 Advanced Bladder Cancer…
Everything below is the FDA label for Cisplatin (injectable). Cisplatin is also sold as solution, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Cisplatin side effects
The following adverse reactions are described in greater detail, in other sections: Nephrotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Peripheral Neuropathy [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Nausea and vomiting [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Hypersensitivity reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] Ototoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 ] Ocular toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] Secondary malignancies [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] Injection site reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.10 )] Common adverse reactions are nephrotoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, nausea and vomiting myelosuppression, and ototoxicity. The following adverse reactions have been identified from clinical trials or post-marketing surveillance. Blood and lymphatic system disorders: Coombs‑positive hemolytic anemia. hemolytic uremic syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura Cardiovascular disorders: Venous thromboembolism, arterial thromboembolism, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, thrombotic microangiopathy, cerebral arteritis, pericardial effusion, cardiac failure, ventricular dysfunction, Raynaud’s phenomenon Eye disorders: Optic neuritis, papilledema, cortical blindness, blurred vision, color blindness, retinal pigmentation Gastrointestinal disorders: Nausea, vomiting,…
Who shouldn’t take Cisplatin
Cisplatin injection is contraindicated in patients with severe hypersensitivity to cisplatin [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] . Severe hypersensitivity to cisplatin ( 4 )
Cisplatin drug interactions
The following drug interactions are described in other sections: Nephrotoxic drugs [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Ototoxic drugs [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )]
Every cisplatin 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 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
Cisplatin recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long cisplatin keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some cisplatin labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 6 hours.
Does cisplatin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsCisplatin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for cisplatin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadAfter cisplatin administration to nursing mothers, excretion of platinum into milk occurs. The exact forms and toxicities of platinum excreted into breastmilk are not known. The nursing infant would receive platinum compounds orally rather than intravenously and oral absorption of platinum compounds by infants is not known. Platinum in milk may increase with repeated courses of chemotherapy. Most sources consider that mothers receiving antineoplastic therapy should not breastfeed, especially with alkylating agents such as cisplatin. It is probably not safe to breastfeed during cisplatin therapy, and breastfeeding should be discontinued. Resuming breastfeeding 3 weeks after the last dose of cisplatin has been done safely in one case.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised May 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about cisplatin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 79,295 reports naming cisplatin, and the FDA flagged 97% 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:
- nausea5,594 reports
- neutropenia4,995 reports
- febrile neutropenia4,727 reports
- vomiting4,707 reports
- anaemia4,080 reports
- diarrhoea3,880 reports
- thrombocytopenia3,864 reports
- pyrexia3,488 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean cisplatin 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 Cisplatin?
Cisplatin is a platinum-based drug used to treat Astrocytoma, Urinary Bladder Neoplasms, Breast Neoplasms, Esophageal Neoplasms.
What kind of drug is cisplatin?
The FDA classifies cisplatin as a platinum-based drug. 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 cisplatin 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 cisplatin 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 cisplatin sold under?
We track 3 cisplatin-containing products in the U.S.: Cisplatin, Platinol and Platinol-Aq. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does cisplatin come in?
Across the brands we track, cisplatin is currently marketed as injectable and solution, 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 cisplatin?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic cisplatin 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.
Has cisplatin been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions cisplatin. The most recent: Cisplatin Injection (Oct 1, 2024). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Cisplatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cisplatin
- MLA
- “Cisplatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cisplatin.
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 cisplatin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.