Death after Oclacitinib (Apoquel) in cats

The FDA has received 73 reports of death in cats after Oclacitinib. That is 16% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.9% across reports for all cat medicines, so it is reported unusually often with this medicine.

73Reports

100%Marked serious

0.0%Recovered

99%Died or euthanised

Same dayTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

33 54%

1–2 days

11 18%

3–7 days

5 8.2%

1–4 weeks

5 8.2%

Over a month

7 11%

How the animals did

Died

32 44%

Euthanised

40 55%

Not known

1 1.4%

Problems reported at the same time

43 59%

37 51%

25 34%

22 30%

20 27%

20 27%

13 18%

12 16%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Oclacitinib controls itching from allergies (tablet, a JAK inhibitor).

Products with this ingredient include Apoquel. The FDA hides brand names in its public data, so these reports cover every product with the same active ingredients.

Questions owners ask

Can Oclacitinib cause death in cats?: 73 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within the same day of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Death with similar medicines

Death after Cyclosporine (Atopica) 204 reports · 6.7% of its reports

All reported side effects of Oclacitinib in cats · Medicines most reported with death