Pharmacologic class (EPC) · 2 drug pages

beta-Adrenergic agonist: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,553 reports list a drug in this class as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026.

Read first · FDA's statement on these data

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. openFDA, FDA

FDA adds: "There is no certainty that the reported event (adverse event or medication error) was actually due to the product. FDA does not require that a causal relationship between a product and event be proven, and reports do not always contain enough detail to properly evaluate an event." The information in these reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

2,553
reports across the class: 0% of all reports; 234
reports, 12 months to June 2026: 264 in the 12 months before; 88.7%
marked serious by the reporter: 57.4% across all reports; 2
drugs with a page: brand and generic names counted separately

beta-Adrenergic agonist is a pharmacologic class (an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class) with 2 drug pages on this site. Together those drugs are listed as a suspect or interacting product in 2,553 adverse event reports received by FDA, 0% of the database, from January 2004 to June 2026.

234 reports arrived in the 12 months to June 2026, down 11% from 264 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. 88.7% of the class's reports are marked serious, 35.4% record death among the outcomes and 44.8% record hospitalisation, as reported.

Across the class the reactions recorded most often are drug ineffective (26.1%), off label use (16.1%) and cardiogenic shock (15.3%). The class median share shown beside each term is the middle value across the member drugs; it is the comparison used on every drug page in this class.

The members table is ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Drugs in the class

Drug	Name type	Reports	Latest 12 months	Marked serious	Top term recorded
Dobutamine	generic	1,714	168	93.4%	Drug ineffective
Dobutamine hydrochloride	generic	839	66	79%	Drug ineffective

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Reports by month, five years

FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

Reactions recorded across the class

share of class reports recording the termmedian drug in the class

Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected26.1%667
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label16.1%410
Cardiogenic shockshock from the heart failing to pump15.3%390
Multiple organ dysfunction syndromeseveral organs failing14.8%379
Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse13.7%351
General physical health deteriorationgeneral decline in health13.6%346
Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection12.6%321
Hyponatraemialow blood sodium12.3%315
Nauseafeeling sick12.3%314
Stressstress12.2%312
Abdominal distensiona bloated abdomen12.2%311
Ascitesfluid in the abdomen12.1%310
Appendicitis12%306
Abdominal painstomach or belly pain11.8%300
Appendicolith11.8%300
Vomitingbeing sick11.7%299
Ventricular fibrillationa chaotic rhythm from the lower heart chambers11.4%291
Constipationconstipation11.4%290
Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine8.9%228
Somnolencedrowsiness8.5%218
Blood phosphorus increased8.5%217
Dry mouthdry mouth7.7%196
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term7.5%192
Myasthenia gravis7.5%191
Dyspnoeashortness of breath7.3%186

Solid bar: share of all class reports. Hollow bar: the median share across the 2 member drugs, the reference used on each member's page. One report can record several terms.

Outcomes, patients and reporters

Outcomes recorded

Death35.4%904

Life-threatening27.9%713

Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)44.8%1,143

Disability12.7%325

Congenital anomaly4.2%106

Other serious57.7%1,474

Not serious11.3%289

Patient age

Under 21.6%40

2 to 111.7%44

12 to 172.2%57

18 to 4414.4%367

45 to 6423.1%590

65 to 7411.8%301

75 and over23.5%601

Age not given21.7%553

Who reported

Physician26.4%674

Pharmacist5.1%130

Other health professional58.2%1,487

Lawyer0.2%5

Consumer or non-health professional7%179

Not given3.1%78

Grey bar: all 20,646,523 reports in the database. Outcome flags are as the reporter set them and are not verified by FDA.

Questions about beta-Adrenergic agonist reports

Which drugs are in the beta-Adrenergic agonist class on this site?

Dobutamine and Dobutamine hydrochloride. Class membership comes from the pharmacologic class (EPC) on the drug's FDA label.

How many reports does the class have?

2,553 reports through June 2026, 234 of them in the latest 12 months. A report listing two drugs of the class counts once for each.

What reactions are recorded most often?

drug ineffective (26.1%), off label use (16.1%), cardiogenic shock (15.3%), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (14.8%) and condition aggravated (13.7%).

Can the members table be used to rank the drugs?

No. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." Drugs differ in how many people take them, in the conditions they treat, in time on the market and in how diligently reports are collected.

How do I report an adverse event?

Through FDA MedWatch (Form FDA 3500, or 1-800-FDA-1088) or to the manufacturer. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A class is the Established Pharmacologic Class most often attached to a drug's reports by openFDA's label harmonisation, or from the NDC Directory where reports carry none. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.