Pegasys and Lichen planus - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Lichen planus is reported as a side effect among people who take Pegasys (peginterferon alfa 2a), especially for people who are female, 40-49 old, have been taking the drug for 6 - 12 months also take Ribavirin, and have Anaemia.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Lichen planus when taking Pegasys. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 57,338 people who have side effects when taking Pegasys from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Pegasys?

Pegasys has active ingredients of peginterferon alfa 2a. It is often used in hepatitis c. eHealthMe is studying from 57,446 Pegasys users. Check the latest studies of Pegasys.

What is Lichen planus?

Lichen planus (an inflammatory skin condition, characterized by an itchy, non-infectious rash) is found to be associated with 249 drugs and 557 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Lichen planus.



On Jul, 14, 2026

57,338 people reported to have side effects when taking Pegasys.
Among them, 22 people (0.04%) have Lichen planus.

Could Pegasys cause Lichen planus?

Among these 22 people:

How long have people been on Pegasys when they have Lichen planus? *

  • < 1 month: 16.67 %
  • 1 - 6 months: 16.67 %
  • 6 - 12 months: 58.33 %
  • 1 - 2 years: 8.33 %
  • 2 - 5 years: 0.0 %
  • 5 - 10 years: 0.0 %
  • 10+ years: 0.0 %

What is the gender of people who have Lichen planus when taking Pegasys? *

  • female: 55 %
  • male: 45 %

What is the age of people who have Lichen planus when taking Pegasys? *

  • 0-1: 0.0 %
  • 2-9: 0.0 %
  • 10-19: 0.0 %
  • 20-29: 0.0 %
  • 30-39: 0.0 %
  • 40-49: 42.11 %
  • 50-59: 31.58 %
  • 60+: 26.32 %

What are other drugs people take besides Pegasys? *

  1. Ribavirin: 9 people, 40.91%
  2. Effexor: 5 people, 22.73%
  3. Hydrochlorothiazide: 5 people, 22.73%
  4. Lortab: 4 people, 18.18%
  5. Lotrel: 4 people, 18.18%
  6. Ativan: 4 people, 18.18%
  7. Benicar: 4 people, 18.18%
  8. Restoril: 4 people, 18.18%
  9. Flexeril: 4 people, 18.18%
  10. Prozac: 4 people, 18.18%

What are other side effects people have besides Lichen planus? *

  1. Headache (pain in head): 7 people, 31.82%
  2. Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: 4 people, 18.18%
  3. Aplasia Pure Red Cell (type of anaemia affecting the precursors to red blood cells but not to white blood cells): 4 people, 18.18%
  4. Aplastic Anemia: 4 people, 18.18%
  5. Cough: 3 people, 13.64%
  6. Heart Palpitations (feelings or sensations that your heart is pounding or racing): 3 people, 13.64%
  7. Rashes (redness): 3 people, 13.64%
  8. Itching: 3 people, 13.64%
  9. Lymphopenia (an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood): 3 people, 13.64%
  10. Hoarseness Or Changing Voice: 2 people, 9.09%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

  1. Anaemia (lack of blood): 4 people, 18.18%
  2. Sleep Disorder: 1 person, 4.55%
  3. Portal Hypertension (increase in the blood pressure within a system of veins called the portal venous system): 1 person, 4.55%
  4. Pain: 1 person, 4.55%
  5. Itching: 1 person, 4.55%
  6. Hepatitis B: 1 person, 4.55%
  7. Diabetes: 1 person, 4.55%
  8. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness): 1 person, 4.55%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Pegasys and have Lichen planus?

- Check whether Lichen planus is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously



Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Pegasys:

Lichen planus treatments and more:

How severe was Lichen planus and when was it recovered:

Expand to all the drugs that have ingredients of peginterferon alfa 2a:

Sub-studies by gender and age:

Female: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Male: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Browse all side effects of Pegasys:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Lichen planus:

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Lichen planus:


How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on peginterferon alfa 2a (the active ingredients of Pegasys) and Pegasys (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.



Recent studies on eHealthMe: