Interferon Gamma-1b: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Interferon Gamma-1b is an interferon gamma sold in the U.S. under one brand, for bacterial infections, brain neoplasms and renal cell carcinoma. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Interferon Gamma
- Treats
- Bacterial Infections, Brain Neoplasms and Renal Cell Carcinoma
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- Actimmune
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How interferon gamma-1b is dosed
From the FDA label for Actimmune (application BLA103836). Other interferon gamma-1b products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
For subcutaneous use only ( 2.1 ) The recommended dose is 50 mcg/m 2 for patients whose body surface area is greater than 0.5 m 2 and 1.5 mcg/kg/dose for patients whose body surface area is equal to or less than 0.5 m 2 three times weekly. ( 2.1 ) Monitor hematology, blood chemistries and urinalysis prior to the beginning of treatment and at 3-month intervals. ( 2.1 ) If severe reactions occur, reduce dose by 50 percent or discontinue therapy until the adverse reaction abates. ( 2.3 ) 2.1 Dosing Information The recommended dosage of ACTIMMUNE administered subcutaneously, for the treatment of patients with CGD and SMO is shown in Table 1 below: Table 1: Recommended Dosage for ACTIMMUNE for the Treatment of Patients with CGD and SMO Body Surface Area (m 2 ) Dose (mcg/m 2 ) Dose (International Units/m 2 ) Note that the above activity is expressed in International Units (1 million International Units/50 mcg). This is equivalent to what was previously expressed as units (1.5 million units/50 mcg). Frequency Greater than 0.5 m 2 50 mcg/m 2 1 million International Units/m 2 Three times weekly (For example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday) Equal to or less than 0.5 m 2 1.5 mcg/kg/dose ------------ Three times weekly (For example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday) Prior to the beginning of treatment and at three-month intervals during treatment the following laboratory tests are recommended…
Interferon Gamma-1b side effects
The following adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the warnings and precautions section of the labeling: Cardiovascular Disorders [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Neurologic Disorders [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Bone Marrow Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Hepatic Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Renal Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Common adverse reactions (incidence rate 2% or greater) for ACTIMMUNE include fever, headache, rash, chills, injection site erythema or tenderness, fatigue, diarrhea. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amgen Inc.at 1 800 77 AMGEN (1 800 772 6436)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 and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The following data on adverse reactions are based on the subcutaneous administration of ACTIMMUNE at a dose of 50 mcg/m 2 , three times weekly, in patients with CGD during a clinical trial in the United States and Europe. The most common adverse reactions observed in patients with CGD are shown in the following…
Who shouldn’t take interferon gamma-1b
ACTIMMUNE is contraindicated in patients who develop or have known hypersensitivity to interferon gamma, E. coli derived products, or any component of the product. Known hypersensitivity to interferon gamma, E. coli derived products, or any component of the product ( 4 )
Interferon Gamma-1b drug interactions
Concomitant use of drugs with neurotoxic, hematotoxic or cardiotoxic effects may increase the toxicity of interferons. ( 7.2 ) Avoid simultaneous administration of ACTIMMUNE with other heterologous serum protein or immunological preparations (e.g., vaccines). ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Myelosuppressive Agents When administering ACTIMMUNE in combination with other potentially myelosuppressive agents, monitor neutrophil and platelet counts [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] . 7.2 Drugs with Neurotoxic, Hematoxic or Cardiotoxic Effects The concurrent use of drugs having neurotoxic (including effects on the central nervous system), hematotoxic, or cardiotoxic effects may increase the toxicity of interferons in these systems. It is theoretically possible that hepatotoxic and/or nephrotoxic drugs might have an effect on the clearance of ACTIMMUNE. 7.3 Immunological Preparations Simultaneous administration of ACTIMMUNE with other heterologous serum protein preparations or immunological preparations (e.g., vaccines) should be avoided due to the risk of an unexpected, or amplified, immune response. 7.4 Effects on Cytochrome P-450 Pathways Preclinical studies in rodents using species-specific interferon gamma have demonstrated a decrease in hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 concentrations. This could potentially lead to a depression of the hepatic metabolism of certain drugs that utilize this degradative pathway.
Every interferon gamma-1b product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Actimmune.
Interferon Gamma-1b and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for interferon gamma-1b: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadInterferon gamma is a normal component of human milk. No data are available on the use of exogenous interferon gamma 1b during breastfeeding. However, the amounts of the similar drugs, interferon alfa and interferon beta-1a, excreted into milk are very low. Any interferon in breastmilk is probably destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and not absorbed, except perhaps in neonates.
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 interferon gamma-1b
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 264 reports naming interferon gamma-1b, and the FDA flagged 98% 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:
- neutropenia29 reports
- pyrexia28 reports
- pneumonia21 reports
- nausea20 reports
- anaemia18 reports
- respiratory failure15 reports
- febrile neutropenia14 reports
- dyspnoea13 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean interferon gamma-1b 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 interferon gamma-1b?
Actimmune (Interferon Gamma-1b) is an interferon gamma used to treat Bacterial Infections, Brain Neoplasms, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Cryoglobulinemia.
What kind of drug is interferon gamma-1b?
The FDA classifies interferon gamma-1b as an interferon gamma. 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 interferon gamma-1b 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 interferon gamma-1b against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does interferon gamma-1b come in?
Across the brands we track, interferon gamma-1b is currently marketed as injectable, 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 interferon gamma-1b?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled interferon gamma-1b product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Interferon Gamma-1b: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/interferon-gamma-1b
- MLA
- “Interferon Gamma-1b: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/interferon-gamma-1b.
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 interferon gamma-1b on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.