Pegfilgrastim: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Pegfilgrastim is a leukocyte growth factor sold in the U.S. under one brand, for neutropenia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Leukocyte Growth Factor
- Treats (across its forms)
- Neutropenia
- Available as
- Injectable · Solution · Kit
- Sold as
- Neulasta
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How pegfilgrastim is dosed
From the FDA label for Neulasta (application BLA125031). Other pegfilgrastim products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Patients with cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy For adult patients of any weight and pediatric patients weighing 45 kg and greater, the recommended dosage is 6 mg subcutaneously once per chemotherapy cycle. ( 2.1 ) For pediatric patients weighing less than 45 kg, use weight-based dosing; refer to Table 1 ( 2.1 ) Do not administer between 14 days before and 24 hours after administration of chemotherapy. ( 2.1 ) Patients acutely exposed to myelosuppressive doses of radiation For adults of any weight and pediatric patients weighing 45 kg and greater, the recommended dosage is two doses, 6 mg each, subcutaneously one week apart. Administer the first dose as soon as possible after suspected or confirmed exposure to myelosuppressive doses of radiation, and a second dose one week after. ( 2.2 ) For pediatric patients weighing less than 45 kg, use weight-based dosing; refer to Table 1. ( 2.1 ) 2.1 Patients with Cancer Receiving Myelosuppressive Chemotherapy The recommended dosage of Neulasta for adults of any weight and pediatric patients weighing at least 45 kg with cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy is a single subcutaneous injection of 6 mg administered once per chemotherapy cycle. For dosing in pediatric patients weighing less than 45 kg, refer to Table 1. Do not administer Neulasta between 14 days before and 24 hours after administration of chemotherapy.…
Pegfilgrastim side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling: Splenic Rupture [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Serious Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Allergies to Acrylics [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Use in Patients with Sickle Cell Disorders [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Glomerulonephritis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Leukocytosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Thrombocytopenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Capillary Leak Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] Potential for Tumor Growth Stimulatory Effects on Malignant Cells [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] Myelodysplastic syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] Acute myeloid leukemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] Aortitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.13) ] Most common adverse reactions (≥ 5% difference in incidence compared to placebo) are bone pain and pain in extremity. ( 6.1 ) 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…
Who shouldn’t take pegfilgrastim
Neulasta is contraindicated in patients with a history of a serious hypersensitivity reaction to pegfilgrastim or filgrastim. Reactions have included anaphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] . In patients with a history of serious hypersensitivity reaction to pegfilgrastim or filgrastim. ( 4 )
Every pegfilgrastim 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: Neulasta.
What people report to the FDA about pegfilgrastim
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 11,643 reports naming pegfilgrastim, and the FDA flagged 92% 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 neutropenia1,979 reports
- neutropenia1,159 reports
- pyrexia913 reports
- nausea846 reports
- fatigue789 reports
- diarrhoea759 reports
- anaemia743 reports
- thrombocytopenia621 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean pegfilgrastim 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 pegfilgrastim?
Neulasta (Pegfilgrastim) is a leukocyte growth factor used to treat Neutropenia.
What kind of drug is pegfilgrastim?
The FDA classifies pegfilgrastim as a leukocyte growth factor. 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 pegfilgrastim 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 pegfilgrastim 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 pegfilgrastim come in?
Across the brands we track, pegfilgrastim is currently marketed as injectable, solution and kit, 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 pegfilgrastim?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled pegfilgrastim 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). Pegfilgrastim: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pegfilgrastim
- MLA
- “Pegfilgrastim: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pegfilgrastim.
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 pegfilgrastim on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.