Pamidronate disodium

What Pamidronate disodium is used for

Quoted from the “Indications and Usage” section of the FDA-approved label.

Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Pamidronate disodium, in conjunction with adequate hydration, is indicated for the treatment of moderate or severe hypercalcemia associated with malignancy, with or without bone metastases. Patients who have either epidermoid or non-epidermoid tumors respond to treatment with pamidronate disodium. …

— FDA label: Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026. Read the full label on DailyMed →

Label quoted: the one for the most common form (injection, solution, intravenous), Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc.; it covers 3 products in the FDA NDC Directory. The side effects, interactions, dosage and pregnancy quotes below come from this same label.

The FDA has 2 labels for products of this medicine (different makers and forms); uses can differ between them. Check the label that comes with your own medicine.

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Conditions named on the label

These condition names appear word for word in the label’s “Indications and Usage” text (matched with a reviewed table). Each page lists hospitals whose own websites name the condition.

Related medical specialties

Boxed warning

A boxed warning (“black box”) is the FDA’s strongest warning on a drug label, for serious or life-threatening risks.

The label quoted above has no boxed warning.

0 of 2 FDA labels for this medicine have a boxed warning.

Pamidronate disodium side effects

Quoted from the “Adverse Reactions” section of the FDA-approved label. Tell your doctor about any side effect that worries you.

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Clinical Studies Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Transient mild elevation of temperature by at least 1°C was noted 24 to 48 hours after administration of pamidronate disodium in 34% of patients in clinical trials.

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In the saline trial, 18% of patients had a temperature elevation of at least 1°C 24 to 48 hours after treatment. Drug-related local soft-tissue symptoms (redness, swelling or induration and pain on palpation) at the site of catheter insertion were most common in patients treated with 90 mg of pamidronate disodium. Symptomatic treatment resulted in rapid resolution in all patients. Rare cases of uveitis, iritis, scleritis, and episcleritis have been reported, including one case of scleritis, and one case of uveitis upon separate rechallenges. Five of 231 patients (2%) who received pamidronate disodium during the four U.S. controlled hypercalcemia clinical studies were reported to have had seizures, 2 of whom had preexisting seizure disorders. None of the seizures were considered to be drug-related by the investigators. However, a possible relationship between the drug and the occurrence of seizures cannot be ruled out. It should be noted that in the saline arm 1 patient (4%) had a seizure. There are no controlled clinical trials comparing the efficacy and safety of 90 mg pamidronate disodium over 24 hours to 2 hours in patients with hypercalcemia of malignancy. However, a comparison of data from separate clinical trials suggests that the overall safety profile in patients who received 90 mg pamidronate disodium over 24 hours is similar to those who received 90 mg pamidronate disodium over 2 hours. The only notable differences observed were an increase in the proportion of patients in the pamidronate disodium 24-hour group who experienced fluid overload and electrolyte/mineral abnormalities. At least 15% of patients treated with pamidronate disodium for hypercalcemia of malignancy also experienced the following adverse events during a clinical trial: General: Fluid overload, generalized pain Cardiovascular: Hypertension Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain, anorexia, constipation, nausea, vomiting Genitourinary: Urinary tract infection Musculoskeletal: Bone pain Laboratory Abnormality: Anemia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia. Many of these adverse experiences may have been related to the underlying disease state. The following table lists the adverse experiences considered to be treatment-related during comparative, controlled U.S. trials.

— FDA label: Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026. This is part of the section. Read the full label on DailyMed →

Pamidronate disodium dosage

Quoted from the “Dosage and Administration” section of the FDA-approved label. Your own dose is the one your doctor prescribes: do not change it on your own.

Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Consideration should be given to the severity of as well as the symptoms of hypercalcemia. Vigorous saline hydration alone may be sufficient for treating mild, asymptomatic hypercalcemia. Overhydration should be avoided in patients who have potential for cardiac failure. In hypercalcemia associated with hematologic malignancies, the use of glucocorticoid therapy may be helpful.

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Moderate Hypercalcemia The recommended dose of pamidronate disodium in moderate hypercalcemia (corrected serum calcium* of approximately 12 to 13.5 mg/dL) is 60 to 90 mg given as a SINGLE DOSE, intravenous infusion over 2 to 24 hours. Longer infusions (i.e., >2 hours) may reduce the risk for renal toxicity, particularly in patients with preexisting renal insufficiency. Severe Hypercalcemia The recommended dose of pamidronate disodium in severe hypercalcemia (corrected serum calcium* >13.5 mg/dL) is 90 mg given as a SINGLE DOSE, intravenous infusion over 2 to 24 hours. Longer infusions (i.e., >2 hours) may reduce the risk for renal toxicity, particularly in patients with preexisting renal insufficiency. * Albumin-corrected serum calcium (CCa, mg/dL) = serum calcium, mg/dL + 0.8 (4.0-serum albumin, g/dL). Retreatment A limited number of patients have received more than one treatment with pamidronate disodium for hypercalcemia. Retreatment with pamidronate disodium, in patients who show complete or partial response initially, may be carried out if serum calcium does not return to normal or remain normal after initial treatment. It is recommended that a minimum of 7 days elapse before retreatment, to allow for full response to the initial dose. The dose and manner of retreatment is identical to that of the initial therapy. Paget’s Disease The recommended dose of pamidronate disodium in patients with moderate to severe Paget’s disease of bone is 30 mg daily, administered as a 4-hour infusion on 3 consecutive days for a total dose of 90 mg. Retreatment A limited number of patients with Paget’s disease have received more than one treatment of pamidronate disodium in clinical trials. When clinically indicated, patients should be retreated at the dose of initial therapy. Osteolytic Bone Lesions of Multiple Myeloma The recommended dose of pamidronate disodium in patients with osteolytic bone lesions of multiple myeloma is 90 mg administered as a 4-hour infusion given on a monthly basis. Patients with marked Bence-Jones proteinuria and dehydration should receive adequate hydration prior to pamidronate disodium infusion. Limited information is available on the use of pamidronate disodium in multiple myeloma patients with a serum creatinine ≥ 3.0 mg/dL. Patients who receive pamidronate disodium should have serum creatinine assessed prior to each treatment. Treatment should be withheld for renal deterioration. In a clinical study, renal deterioration was defined as follows: For patients with normal baseline creatinine, increase of 0.5 mg/dL. For patients with abnormal baseline creatinine, increase of 1.0 mg/dL. In this clinical study, pamidronate disodium treatment was resumed only when the creatinine returned to within 10% of the baseline value.

— FDA label: Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026. This is part of the section. Read the full label on DailyMed →

When Pamidronate disodium should not be used

Quoted from the “Contraindications” section of the FDA-approved label.

Pamidronate disodium is contraindicated in patients with clinically significant hypersensitivity to pamidronate disodium or other bisphosphonates.

— FDA label: Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026. Read the full label on DailyMed →

Pamidronate disodium overdose

Quoted from the “Overdosage” section of the FDA-approved label. If someone may have taken too much, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (or 911 in an emergency).

There have been several cases of drug maladministration of intravenous pamidronate disodium in hypercalcemia patients with total doses of 225 mg to 300 mg given over 2½ to 4 days. All of these patients survived, but they experienced hypocalcemia that required intravenous and/or oral administration of calcium. Single doses of pamidronate disodium should not exceed 90 mg and the duration of the intravenous infusion should be no less than 2 hours (See WARNINGS).

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In addition, one obese woman (95 kg) who was treated with 285 mg of pamidronate disodium/day for 3 days experienced high fever (39.5°C), hypotension (from 170/90 mmHg to 90/60 mmHg), and transient taste perversion, noted about 6 hours after the first infusion. The fever and hypotension were rapidly corrected with steroids. If overdosage occurs, symptomatic hypocalcemia could also result; such patients should be treated with short-term intravenous calcium.

— FDA label: Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026. Read the full label on DailyMed →

Forms and how it is given

Companies that list this medicine

Labelers in the FDA NDC Directory: the company named on the package (maker or distributor), with the number of prescription products.

• Hospira, Inc.3 products
• Mylan Institutional LLC2 products

FDA approval history

• ANDA: Abbreviated New Drug Application: how a generic version is approved.

Generic approvals (2)

• ANDA075841Hospira · June 27, 2002
• ANDA078520Mylan Labs Ltd · October 31, 2008

Shortage status

The FDA drug shortage list does not show these products.

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Recalls

No recall linked to these products (by their NDC code) appears in the FDA enforcement reports.

Official identifiers

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• Hospira, Inc.Maker or distributor
• Mylan Institutional LLCMaker or distributor
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Sources

1. FDA-approved label on DailyMed (National Library of Medicine) — Pamidronate Disodium, Hospira, Inc., effective May 14, 2026; via openFDA, FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
2. NDC Directory (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
3. Drugs@FDA (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
4. Drug recall enforcement reports (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 27, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
5. Drug shortages (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026

openFDA data is provided by the FDA as is; it may be incomplete. Always rely on the label that comes with your medicine. FDA Enforcement Report search →

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