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carfilzomib

Sold as Kyprolis. Class: Proteasome inhibitors. First FDA approval 07/20/2012: 14 years on the US market.

This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.

B

Score breakdown (82/100)

Safety ×35%
A
Evidence ×25%
D
Regulatory ×15%
A
Money & lawsuits ×15%
B
Options ×10%
A

Safety: 93

Evidence: 53

Regulatory history: 97

Money & lawsuits: 85

Options: 90

What the FDA label says

Approved uses

Kyprolis is a proteasome inhibitor that is indicated: for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three lines of therapy in combination with Lenalidomide and dexamethasone; or Dexamethasone; or Daratumumab and dexamethasone; or Daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone; or Isatuximab and dexamethasone. ( 1 , 14 ) as a single agent for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one or more lines of therapy. ( 1 , 14 ) 1.1 Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma Kyprolis is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three lines of therapy in combination with: Lenalidomide and dexamethasone; or Dexamethasone; or Daratumumab and dexamethasone; or Daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj and dexamethasone; or Isatuximab and dexamethasone. Kyprolis is indicated as a single agent for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one or more lines of therapy.

Contraindications

None. None. ( 4 )

Warnings and precautions

Cardiac Toxicities : Monitor for signs and symptoms of cardiac failure or ischemia. Withhold Kyprolis and evaluate promptly. ( 5.1 ) Acute Renal Failure : Monitor serum creatinine regularly. ( 5.2 ) Tumor Lysis Syndrome (TLS) : Administer pre-treatment hydration. (2.1 ) Monitor for TLS, including uric acid levels and treat promptly. ( 5.3 ) Pulmonary Toxicity, including Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Acute Respiratory Failure, and Acute Diffuse Infiltrative Pulmonary Disease : Withhold Kyprolis and evaluate promptly. ( 5.4 ) Pulmonary Hypertension : Withhold Kyprolis and evaluate. ( 5.5 ) Dyspnea : For severe or life-threatening dyspnea, withhold Kyprolis and evaluate. ( 5.6 ) Hypertension, including Hypertensive Crisis : Monitor blood pressure regularly. If hypertension cannot be controlled, interrupt treatment with Kyprolis. ( 5.7 ) Venous Thrombosis : Thromboprophylaxis is recommended. ( 5.8 ) Infusion-related Reactions : Premedicate with dexamethasone. ( 2.1 , 5.9 ) Hemorrhage : Fatal or serious cases of hemorrhage may occur, including gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and intracranial hemorrhage. Promptly evaluate signs and symptoms of blood loss. ( 5.10 ) Thrombocytopenia : ...

Adverse reactions (label)

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Cardiac Toxicities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Acute Renal Failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Tumor Lysis Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Pulmonary Toxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Pulmonary Hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Dyspnea [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Venous Thrombosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Infusion-Related Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] Hemorrhage [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] Thrombocytopenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] Hepatic Toxicity and Hepatic Failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.12) ] Thrombotic Microangiopathy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.13) ] Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions (5.14) ] Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.15) ] The most common adverse reactions occurring in at least 20% of patients treated with Kyprolis in monotherapy trials: anemia, fatigue, thrombocytopenia, nausea, pyrexia, dyspnea, di...

Source: FDA SPL label for KYPROLIS (Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), effective 20250618. Full label on DailyMed.

Side-effect reports sent to the FDA

These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.

27,471reports that mention this drug
27,462of those blame this drug, not another one the person was taking
76%of reports describe a serious outcome, such as a hospital stay (average for all drugs: 57%)
15.3%of reports include a death, from any cause (average for all drugs: 9.1%)

Problems reported most often

Plasma Cell Myeloma · 2,942Off Label Use · 2,394Death · 1,722Thrombocytopenia · 1,521Fatigue · 1,497Pneumonia · 1,345Pyrexia · 1,129Neutropenia · 1,100Diarrhoea · 1,097Anaemia · 1,085Dyspnoea · 1,063Nausea · 1,053Acute Kidney Injury · 863Drug Ineffective · 840Hypertension · 709

Reports per year

20192020202120222023202420252026
2,0282,0142,2902,5182,8542,2851,940686

Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.

Recalls and regulatory record

1recall actions on file
2 / 5brand / generic applications
1label changes since 2021
NoREMS program
DateClassFirmReason
12/2016Class IIAmgen, Inc.Lack of Assurance of Sterility: Potential cracks in glass vials

Class I = reasonable probability of serious harm. Class II = temporary or reversible harm. Class III = unlikely to harm. Most generic recalls are manufacturing or labeling defects for one lot, not a verdict on the molecule.

Evidence base

60randomized trials (PubMed)
13systematic reviews
278registered trials
76%of completed trials posted results
15%terminated or withdrawn
62%industry-funded

Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Money and lawsuits

In 2024, drug companies reported $244,020 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 532 transactions (Kyprolis $244,020).

No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.

Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.

Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.

Who takes it and what it costs

211Medicare Part D patients (2024)
1,643prescriptions filled
$10,779average cost per fill
$18Mtotal Medicare spend

Same-class alternatives

bortezomibixazomib

Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.

Questions to ask your prescriber

  1. The most-reported problems in FDA's adverse event data are plasma cell myeloma, death, thrombocytopenia. How would we recognize and handle those?
  2. Off-label use is among the most-reported items for this drug. Is my use on-label, and if not, what evidence supports it?
  3. Why this one over bortezomib, ixazomib? What would make you pick one of those instead?
  4. What result are we expecting, by when, and what is the plan if it does not happen?
  5. If 100 people like me took this drug, how many would actually get better because of it, and how many would be harmed by it? (Doctors call these the number needed to treat and the number needed to harm.)