Pegfilgrastim

Pegfilgrastim is commonly used for the prevention of infections in people who are undergoing chemotherapy. By binding to stem cells in the bone marrow and stimulating the production of neutrophils, the drug can help reduce the risk of infection. It comes as an injection that is given once per chemotherapy cycle. Side effects may include bone pain, headache, and joint pain.

Pegfilgrastim for Cancer

What Is Pegfilgrastim?

Pegfilgrastim (Neulasta^®) is a prescription medication used to prevent infections in people undergoing certain kinds of chemotherapy. Many types of chemotherapy increase the risk of dangerous infections, and pegfilgrastim can help prevent such infections.

(Click What Is Pegfilgrastim Used For? for more information, including possible off-label uses.)

Are There Side Effects?

As with any medicine, side effects are possible with pegfilgrastim. However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience problems. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common.

Common side effects of pegfilgrastim include, but are not limited to:

Bone pain
Muscle pain
Headaches
Joint pain.

Hair loss is common in people taking this medication, but is most likely due to the chemotherapy, rather than to pegfilgrastim (see Neulasta and Hair Loss).

(Click Side Effects of Pegfilgrastim to learn more, including potentially serious side effects you should report to your healthcare provider.)

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