Sincalide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Sincalide is a cholecystokinin analog sold in the U.S. under one brand. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Cholecystokinin Analog
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- Kinevac
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How sincalide is dosed
From the FDA label for Kinevac (application NDA017697). Other sincalide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Recommended Adult Dosage and Administration by Indication: To Stimulate Contraction of the Gallbladder 0.02 mcg/kg as a single dose over 30 to 60 seconds via intravenous injection. If satisfactory contraction does not occur in 15 minutes, administer a dose of 0.04 mcg/kg over 30 to 60 seconds. ( 2.1 ) Alternatively consider an intravenous infusion to reduce gastrointestinal adverse reactions : 0.12 mcg/kg diluted in 100 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection USP and infused over 50 minutes at a rate of 2 mL per minute. ( 2.1 , 2.2 , 5.3 ) To Stimulate Pancreatic Secretion in Combination with Secretin 30 minutes after initiation of secretin for injection, administer 0.02 mcg/kg diluted in 30 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection USP and infused over 30 minutes at a rate of 1 mL per minute. ( 2.1 , 2.2 ) To Accelerate Transit of a Barium Meal Through the Small Intestine After the barium meal is beyond the proximal jejunum, administer 0.04 mcg/kg over 30 to 60 seconds via intravenous injection. ( 2.1 ) If satisfactory transit of the barium meal has not occurred in 30 minutes, administer a second dose of 0.04 mcg/kg over 30 to 60 seconds. ( 2.1 ) Alternatively consider an intravenous infusion to reduce gastrointestinal adverse reactions : 0.12 mcg/kg diluted in 100 mL 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection USP and infused over 30 minutes. ( 2.1 , 2.2 , 5.3 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosage and…
Sincalide side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in labeling: Anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock, and other serious hypersensitivity reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Evacuation of gallstones [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Adverse reactions with intravenous injection [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Preterm labor or spontaneous abortion [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] The following adverse reactions associated with the use of Kinevac were identified in clinical trials or postmarketing reports. Because these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate their frequency, reliably, or to establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The most frequent adverse reactions (20% or greater) are gastrointestinal: abdominal discomfort or pain, and nausea; these may not necessarily indicate an abnormality of the biliary tract unless there is other clinical or radiologic evidence of disease. Less common adverse reactions include: Hypersensitivity reactions : anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock, hypotension, throat tightness, bradycardia, shortness of breath, nausea, abdominal cramping, diaphoresis, hives, rash, itching; and numbness of face, lips and eyes [see Contraindications ( 4 ), ( 5.1 )] . Neurological reactions : seizures, headache. Vasovagal reactions :…
Who shouldn’t take sincalide
KINEVAC is contraindicated in patients with: a history of hypersensitivity to sulfites or sincalide. Serious hypersensitivity reactions have included anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ), Adverse Reactions ( 6 )] . intestinal obstruction. History of hypersensitivity to sulfites or sincalide. ( 4 , 5.1 ) Intestinal obstruction. ( 4 )
Sincalide drug interactions
Drugs that Affect Gallbladder Motility or Contractile Response : May interfere with response to sincalide. Consider discontinuing these drugs prior to administration of Kinevac, when used to stimulate contraction of the gallbladder. ( 7.1 ) 7.1 Drugs that Affect Gallbladder Motility or Contractile Response Drugs that may stimulate or inhibit gallbladder motility or contractile response may interfere with the response to sincalide. Consider discontinuing these drugs prior to administration of Kinevac, when used to stimulate contraction of the gallbladder.
Every sincalide 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: Kinevac.
How long sincalide keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some sincalide labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 1 hour.
Does sincalide expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsSincalide and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for sincalide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadSincalide is a synthetic octapeptide analogue of cholecystokinin. Because sincalide has a molecular weight of 1143 Da, the amount in milk is likely to be low and oral absorption by the infant is unlikely because it is probably partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and poorly absorbed orally. The serum half-life of sincalide is less than 2 minutes, indicating that withholding breastfeeding for 10 minutes after a dose should ensure that the infant is not exposed to the drug.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised January 15, 2025. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about sincalide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 15 reports naming sincalide, and the FDA flagged 47% 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:
- cholecystitis acute2 reports
- cough2 reports
- dyspnoea2 reports
- malaise2 reports
- peripheral ischaemia2 reports
- throat irritation2 reports
- throat tightness2 reports
- abdominal discomfort1 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean sincalide 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 sincalide?
Kinevac (sincalide for injection) is a cholecystopancreatic-gastrointestinal hormone for parenteral administration. The agent is a synthetically-prepared C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin. Each single-dose vial of sincalide provides a sterile nonpyrogenic lyophilized white powder consisting of 5 mcg sincalide with 30 mg arginine hydrochloride, 15 mg lysine hydrochloride, 170 mg mannitol, 4 mg methionine, 2 mg pentetic acid, 0.005 mcg polysorbate 20, 9 mg potassium phosphate dibasic, and 0.04 mg sodium metabisulfite. The pH is adjusted to 6.0 to 8.0 with hydrochloric acid and/or sodium hydroxide prior to lyophilization.
What kind of drug is sincalide?
The FDA classifies sincalide as a cholecystokinin 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 sincalide 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 sincalide 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 sincalide come in?
Across the brands we track, sincalide 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 sincalide?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled sincalide 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). Sincalide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sincalide
- MLA
- “Sincalide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sincalide.
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 sincalide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.