Evidence mapPaperPMID 42440952Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2026

Muscle toxicity reports in FAERS: a disproportionality analysis with focus on rhabdomyolysis and cross-database assessment.

Lei Zhang, Yuqi Wang, Fang Wang, Kaiyun Ji, Lili Yang, Jia Li

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Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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6 authors.

Lei Zhang *Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Yuqi Wang *Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Fang Wang *Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Kaiyun JiDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Lili YangDepartment of Pharmacy, Shanxi Provincial Integrated TCM and WM Hospital, Taiyuan, China.
Jia LiDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Muscle toxicity can significantly impair quality of life and may be life-threatening in severe cases. Although statins are well known for their risk of muscle toxicity, a comprehensive evaluation of other implicated drugs remains limited. This study aimed to systematically characterize drug-related muscle toxicity using adverse event (AE) reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Methods: FAERS data from the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2024 were extracted and processed. Signal detection was conducted using three disproportionality analysis methods: Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR), Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), and Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). Sensitivity analyses were conducted through stratification by sex, age, and reporter type. External validation was performed using the WHO VigiAccess database. Results: A total of 49,289 reports related to muscle toxicity were identified, involving 47,241 cases and 220 drugs. The mean time to onset was 324.75 days, with a median of 30.00 days. Nervous system drugs accounted for the largest proportion (27.3%), followed by anti-infective agents (22.3%), and cardiovascular drugs (19.5%). The most frequently reported drugs included atorvastatin (n = 5,275), simvastatin (n = 4,831), rosuvastatin (n = 3,209), levetiracetam (n = 1,021), and quetiapine (n = 725). Several drugs not prominently described for muscle toxicity in product labeling showed disproportionality signals, including furosemide [n = 239; ROR (95%CI):3.35 (2.95-3.81)], and diazepam [n = 141; ROR (95%CI): 2.78 (2.36-3.28)]. Rhabdomyolysis was the most frequently reported and clinically significant AE. Additional signals were observed for drugs with limited or unclear labeling regarding rhabdomyolysis, including oseltamivir [n = 63; ROR (95%CI): 2.51 (1.96-3.22)], metformin [n = 397; ROR (95%CI): 2.52 (2.28-2.78)], and alprazolam [n = 178; ROR (95%CI): 2.60 (2.24-3.01)]. Sensitivity analyses and external validation showed generally consistent patterns across subgroups and databases. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive pharmacovigilance evaluation of muscle toxicity-related reports and corresponding drugs using FAERS data. Several drugs with signals not prominently described in current product labeling were identified. These findings highlight the importance of continued pharmacovigilance and may support signal detection and hypothesis generation for future research.

Indexed as

adverse eventsdisproportionality analysisFAERSmuscle toxicityrhabdomyolysis

Identifiers

PMID42440952
PMCPMC13334127

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.