Pemetrexed: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Pemetrexed is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for non-small-cell lung carcinoma, mesothelial neoplasms and malignant mesothelioma. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma, Mesothelial Neoplasms and Malignant Mesothelioma
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- 2 products — Pemfexy and Pemetrexed for Injection
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How pemetrexed is dosed
From the FDA label for Pemfexy (application NDA209472). Other pemetrexed products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
The recommended dose of PEMFEXY administered with pembrolizumab and platinum chemotherapy in patients with a creatinine clearance (calculated by Cockcroft-Gault equation) of 45 mL/min or greater is 500 mg/m 2 as an intravenous infusion over 10 minutes, administered after pembrolizumab and prior to platinum chemotherapy, on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. ( 2.1 ) The recommended dosage of PEMFEXY, administered as a single agent or with cisplatin, in patients with creatinine clearance of 45 mL/minute or greater, is 500 mg/m 2 as an intravenous infusion over 10 minutes on Day 1 of each 21-day cycle. ( 2.1 , 2.2 , 2.3 ) Initiate folic acid 400 mcg to 1000 mcg orally once daily beginning 7 days prior to the first dose of PEMFEXY and continue until 21 days after the last dose. ( 2.4 ) Administer vitamin B 12 1 mg intramuscularly 1 week prior to the first dose of PEMFEXY and every 3 cycles thereafter. ( 2.4 ) Administer dexamethasone 4 mg orally twice daily the day before, the day of, and the day after PEMFEXY administration. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosage for Non-squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer The recommended dose of PEMFEXY, when administered with pembrolizumab and platinum chemotherapy for the initial treatment of metastatic non-squamous NSCLC in patients with a creatinine clearance (calculated by Cockcroft-Gault equation) of 45 mL/min or greater is 500 mg/m 2 as an intravenous…
Pemetrexed side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Renal failure [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Bullous and exfoliative skin toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Interstitial pneumonitis [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Radiation recall [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 20%) of pemetrexed, when administered as a single agent are fatigue, nausea, and anorexia. ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 20%) of pemetrexed when administered with cisplatin are vomiting, neutropenia, anemia, stomatitis/pharyngitis, thrombocytopenia, and constipation. ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥20%) of pemetrexed when administered in combination with pembrolizumab and platinum chemotherapy are fatigue/asthenia, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, decreased appetite, rash, vomiting, cough, dyspnea, and pyrexia. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-855-318-2170 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 reactions rates observed in clinical trials of drugs cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another…
Who shouldn’t take pemetrexed
PEMFEXY is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to pemetrexed [see Adverse Reactions ( 6.1 )] . History of severe hypersensitivity reaction to pemetrexed. ( 4 )
Pemetrexed drug interactions
Ibuprofen: Modify the ibuprofen dosage as recommended for patients with a creatinine clearance between 45 mL/min and 79 mL/min. ( 2.5 , 5.6 , 7 ) 7.1 Effect of Other Drugs on Pemetrexed Ibuprofen Ibuprofen increases exposure (AUC) of pemetrexed [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . In patients with creatinine clearance between 45 mL/min and 79 mL/min: Avoid administration of ibuprofen for 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days following administration of PEMFEXY [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.5 )] . Monitor patients more frequently for myelosuppression, renal, and gastrointestinal toxicity, if concomitant administration of ibuprofen cannot be avoided.
Every pemetrexed product we track (2)
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 | 70/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
Pemetrexed recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long pemetrexed keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some pemetrexed labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.
Does pemetrexed expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsPemetrexed and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for pemetrexed: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadMost sources consider breastfeeding to be contraindicated during maternal high-dose antineoplastic drug therapy. The manufacturer recommends that mothers should not to breastfeed during treatment with pemetrexed and for one week after the last dose. Chemotherapy may adversely affect the normal microbiome and chemical makeup of breastmilk.[1] Women who receive chemotherapy during pregnancy are more likely to have difficulty nursing their infant.[2]
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised August 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about pemetrexed
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 24,953 reports naming pemetrexed, 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:
- malignant neoplasm progression2,105 reports
- anaemia1,454 reports
- nausea1,205 reports
- diarrhoea1,185 reports
- neutropenia1,156 reports
- pancytopenia1,057 reports
- thrombocytopenia1,036 reports
- vomiting917 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean pemetrexed 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 pemetrexed?
Pemfexy (Pemetrexed) is a medication used to treat Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma, Mesothelial Neoplasms, Malignant Mesothelioma, Lung Neoplasms.
Can you take pemetrexed 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 pemetrexed 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 pemetrexed sold under?
We track 2 pemetrexed-containing products in the U.S.: Pemfexy and Pemetrexed for Injection. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does pemetrexed come in?
Across the brands we track, pemetrexed 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 pemetrexed?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled pemetrexed 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.
Has pemetrexed been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 2 recall records whose product description mentions pemetrexed. The most recent: Pemetrexed for Injection 500mg/Vial (Jun 24, 2026). 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). Pemetrexed: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pemetrexed
- MLA
- “Pemetrexed: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pemetrexed.
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 pemetrexed on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.