Pegaspargase: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Pegaspargase is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for blast crisis, non-hodgkin lymphoma and b-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Blast Crisis, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- Oncaspar
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How pegaspargase is dosed
From the FDA label for Oncaspar (application BLA103411). Other pegaspargase products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Administered intramuscularly or intravenously no more frequently than every 14 days. ( 2.1 ) Patients ages 21 years and younger: 2,500 International Units/m 2 . ( 2.1 ) Patients ages over 21 years: 2,000 International Units/m 2 . ( 2.1 ) For intramuscular administration, limit the volume at a single injection site to 2 mL; if greater than 2 mL, use multiple injection sites. ( 2.3 ) For intravenous administration, give over a period of 1 to 2 hours in 100 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP through an infusion that is already running. ( 2.3 ) Do not administer ONCASPAR if drug has been frozen, stored at room temperature for more than 48 hours, or shaken or vigorously agitated. ( 16 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosage Patients 21 Years of Age or Younger The recommended dose of ONCASPAR for patients up to and including 21 years of age is 2,500 International Units/m 2 intramuscularly or intravenously no more frequently than every 14 days. Patients More Than 21 Years of Age The recommended dose of ONCASPAR for adult patients more than 21 years of age is 2,000 International Units/m 2 intramuscularly or intravenously no more frequently than every 14 days. 2.2 Recommended Premedication Premedicate patients with acetaminophen, an H-1 receptor blocker (such as diphenhydramine), and an H-2 receptor blocker (such as famotidine) 30-60 minutes prior to…
Pegaspargase side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Anaphylaxis and serious hypersensitivity reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Thrombosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Pancreatitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Glucose intolerance [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Hemorrhage [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Hepatotoxicity, including VOD [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] The most common (>5%) grade > 3 adverse reactions with ONCASPAR are hypoalbuminemia, elevated transaminase, febrile neutropenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, bilirubin increased, pancreatitis, abnormal clotting studies, embolic and thrombotic events, hypersensitivity, sepsis, and infections. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Servier Pharmaceuticals, at 1-800-807-6124 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, the adverse reaction rates observed cannot be directly compared to rates in other clinical trials and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. The most common grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions (>5%) included: hypoalbuminemia, elevated transaminase, febrile neutropenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, bilirubin increased, pancreatitis, abnormal clotting studies,…
Who shouldn’t take pegaspargase
ONCASPAR is contraindicated in patients with a: History of serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, to ONCASPAR or to any of the excipients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . History of serious thrombosis with prior L-asparaginase therapy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . History of pancreatitis, including pancreatitis related to prior L-asparaginase therapy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] . History of serious hemorrhagic events with prior L-asparaginase therapy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] . Severe hepatic impairment [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] . History of serious hypersensitivity reactions to ONCASPAR. ( 4 ) History of serious thrombosis with prior L-asparaginase therapy. ( 4 ) History of pancreatitis with prior L-asparaginase therapy. ( 4 ) History of serious hemorrhagic events with prior L-asparaginase therapy. ( 4 ) Severe hepatic impairment. ( 4 )
Pegaspargase drug interactions
7.1 Glucocorticoids Pegaspargase may increase the risk of glucocorticoid-induced toxicities, including osteonecrosis through a potential increase in exposure of dexamethasone [see Adverse Reactions (6.3) ] .
Every pegaspargase 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: Oncaspar.
What people report to the FDA about pegaspargase
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 7,083 reports naming pegaspargase, 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:
- febrile neutropenia896 reports
- febrile bone marrow aplasia530 reports
- pyrexia392 reports
- sepsis336 reports
- neutropenia295 reports
- hypertriglyceridaemia253 reports
- hyperbilirubinaemia242 reports
- thrombocytopenia240 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean pegaspargase 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 pegaspargase?
Pegaspargase is a conjugate of monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG) and L-asparaginase (L-asparagine amidohydrolase), an asparagine specific enzyme. L-asparaginase is a tetrameric enzyme that is produced endogenously by E. coli and consists of identical 34.5 kDa subunits.
Can you take pegaspargase 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 pegaspargase 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 pegaspargase come in?
Across the brands we track, pegaspargase 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 pegaspargase?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled pegaspargase 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). Pegaspargase: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pegaspargase
- MLA
- “Pegaspargase: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pegaspargase.
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 pegaspargase on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.