Pomalidomide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Pomalidomide is a thalidomide analog sold in the U.S. under one brand, for multiple myeloma. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Thalidomide Analog
- Treats
- Multiple Myeloma
- Available as
- Capsule
- Sold as
- Pomalyst
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How pomalidomide is dosed
From the FDA label for Pomalyst (application NDA204026). Other pomalidomide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
MM: 4 mg per day taken orally on Days 1 through 21 of repeated 28-day cycles until disease progression ( 2.2 ). Refer to section 14.1 for dexamethasone dosing ( 14.1 ). • KS: 5 mg per day taken orally on Days 1 through 21 of repeated 28-day cycles until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity ( 2.3 ). • Modify the dosage for certain patients with renal impairment ( 2.7 , 8.6 ) or hepatic impairment ( 2.8 , 8.7 ). 2.1 Pregnancy Testing Prior to Administration Females of reproductive potential must have negative pregnancy testing and use contraception methods before initiating POMALYST [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) and Use in Specific Populations (8.1 , 8.3) ] . 2.2 Recommended Dosage for Multiple Myeloma The recommended dosage of POMALYST is 4 mg once daily orally with or without food on Days 1 through 21 of each 28-day cycle until disease progression. Give POMALYST in combination with dexamethasone [see Clinical Studies (14.1) ] . 2.3 Recommended Dosage for Kaposi Sarcoma The recommended dosage of POMALYST is 5 mg once daily taken orally with or without food on Days 1 through 21 of each 28-day cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Continue HAART as HIV treatment in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma (KS) [see Clinical Studies (14.2) ] . 2.4 Dosage Modifications for Hematologic Adverse Reactions Multiple Myeloma: Dosage Modifications for…
Pomalidomide side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described in detail in other labeling sections: • Embryo-Fetal Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1 , 5.2) ] • Venous and Arterial Thromboembolism [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] • Increased Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma When Pembrolizumab Is Added to a Thalidomide Analogue and Dexamethasone [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] • Hematologic Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)] • Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] • Severe Cutaneous Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] • Dizziness and Confusional State [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] • Neuropathy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] • Risk of Second Primary Malignancies [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] • Tumor Lysis Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] • Hypersensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.12) ] • MM: Most common adverse reactions (≥30%) included fatigue and asthenia, neutropenia, anemia, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, dyspnea, upper-respiratory tract infections, back pain, and pyrexia ( 6.1 ). • KS: Most common adverse reactions including laboratory abnormalities (≥30%) are decreased absolute neutrophil count or white blood cells, elevated creatinine or glucose, rash, constipation, fatigue, decreased hemoglobin, platelets, phosphate, albumin, or calcium, increased…
Who shouldn’t take pomalidomide
Pregnancy ( 4.1 ) • Hypersensitivity ( 4.2 ) 4.1 Pregnancy POMALYST is contraindicated in females who are pregnant. POMALYST can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant female [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) and Use in Specific Populations (8.1) ]. Pomalidomide is a thalidomide analogue and is teratogenic in both rats and rabbits when administered during the period of organogenesis. If the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential risk to a fetus. 4.2 Hypersensitivity POMALYST is contraindicated in patients who have demonstrated severe hypersensitivity (e.g., angioedema, anaphylaxis) to pomalidomide or any of the excipients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) , Description (11) ] .
Pomalidomide drug interactions
Strong CYP1A2 Inhibitors: Avoid concomitant use of strong CYP1A2 inhibitors. If concomitant use of a strong CYP1A2 inhibitor is unavoidable, reduce POMALYST dose to 2 mg ( 2.6 , 7.1 , 12.3 ). 7.1 Drugs That Affect Pomalidomide Plasma Concentrations CYP1A2 inhibitors : In healthy subjects, co-administration of fluvoxamine, a strong CYP1A2 inhibitor, increased C max and AUC of pomalidomide by 24% and 125% respectively [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . Increased pomalidomide exposure may increase the risk of exposure related toxicities. Avoid co-administration of strong CYP1A2 inhibitors (e.g. ciprofloxacin and fluvoxamine) . If co-administration is unavoidable, reduce the POMALYST dose [see Dosage and Administration (2.6) ] .
Every pomalidomide 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: Pomalyst.
What pomalidomide pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A018 | 1 mg | yellow | capsule | — |
| A022 | 2 mg | orange | capsule | — |
| A029 | 3 mg | green | capsule | — |
| NAT;1mg | 1 mg | blue, yellow | capsule | — |
| NAT;2mg | 2 mg | blue, orange | capsule | — |
| NAT;3mg | 3 mg | blue, green | capsule | — |
| NAT;4mg | 4 mg | blue, blue | capsule | — |
| APO;P1 | 1 mg | yellow, blue | capsule | — |
| APO;P2 | 2 mg | orange, blue | capsule | — |
| APO;P3 | 3 mg | green, blue | capsule | — |
| APO;P4 | 4 mg | blue, blue | capsule | — |
| H;P2 | 2 mg | white, brown | capsule | — |
Can you crush or split pomalidomide?
At least one pomalidomideproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each pomalidomide label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long pomalidomide keeps
No pomalidomide label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does pomalidomide expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about pomalidomide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 13,766 reports naming pomalidomide, 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:
- plasma cell myeloma2,287 reports
- neutropenia1,508 reports
- pneumonia1,108 reports
- thrombocytopenia846 reports
- anaemia799 reports
- fatigue587 reports
- pyrexia546 reports
- diarrhoea466 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean pomalidomide 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 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is pomalidomide?
Pomalyst (Pomalidomide) is a thalidomide analog used to treat Multiple Myeloma.
What kind of drug is pomalidomide?
The FDA classifies pomalidomide as a thalidomide analog. 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 pomalidomide 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 pomalidomide 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 pomalidomide come in?
Across the brands we track, pomalidomide is currently marketed as capsule, 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 pomalidomide?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled pomalidomide 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). Pomalidomide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pomalidomide
- MLA
- “Pomalidomide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/pomalidomide.
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 pomalidomide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.