Hepatobiliary Adverse Events Associated With the KRAS p.G12C Inhibitor Sotorasib

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2025 Feb;34(2):e70104. doi: 10.1002/pds.70104.

Abstract

Purpose: The p.G12C mutation in KRAS is commonly found in many cancers and was previously untreatable until drugs like sotorasib were developed. However, up to 15% of patients treated with sotorasib have experienced hepatobiliary adverse events. To investigate whether these side effects are more common among sotorasib users, a pharmacovigilance study is necessary.

Methods: This study used the FDA adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database, a publicly available repository of reported drug adverse events, and AERSMine, an open-access pharmacovigilance tool, to investigate these adverse events.

Results: A total of 428 hepatobiliary adverse events were linked to sotorasib. Hepatic cytolysis had the highest reported relative risk at 26.541 and a safety signal of 4.726. Elevated liver and biliary enzymes such as AST, ALT, ALP, and GGT were commonly observed, but with lower reported relative risk and safety signal values, which supports previous real-world reports.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the hepatobiliary risks associated with sotorasib and underscore the importance of closely monitoring liver function in patients who are using the medication. This is particularly crucial for patients with hepatobiliary cancers, as disease progression and adverse events could be misinterpreted.

Keywords: KRAS G12C; biliary toxicity; hepatotoxicity; kinase inhibitor; targeted therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems* / statistics & numerical data
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury* / epidemiology
  • Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury* / etiology
  • Databases, Factual
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation
  • Pharmacovigilance*
  • Piperazines / adverse effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)* / genetics
  • Pyridines / administration & dosage
  • Pyridines / adverse effects
  • Pyrimidines
  • United States / epidemiology
  • United States Food and Drug Administration

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
  • sotorasib
  • KRAS protein, human
  • Pyridines
  • Piperazines
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Pyrimidines