Pharmacologic class (EPC) · 7 drug pages

beta2-Adrenergic agonist: adverse event reports filed with FDA

91,817 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.

91,817
reports across the class: 0.4% of all reports; 7,395
reports, 12 months to June 2026: 9,771 in the 12 months before; 40.5%
marked serious by the reporter: 57.4% across all reports; 7
drugs with a page: brand and generic names counted separately

beta2-Adrenergic agonist is a pharmacologic class (an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class) with 7 drug pages on this site. Together those drugs are listed as a suspect or interacting product in 91,817 adverse event reports received by FDA, 0.4% of the database, from January 2004 to June 2026.

7,395 reports arrived in the 12 months to June 2026, down 24% from 9,771 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. 40.5% of the class's reports are marked serious, 4.6% record death among the outcomes and 19.2% record hospitalisation, as reported.

Across the class the reactions recorded most often are dyspnoea (22.1%), wrong technique in product usage process (19%) and asthma (16.5%). 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
Albuterol sulfate	generic	44,777	4,209	36.7%	Dyspnoea
Ventolin HfaAlbuterol sulfate	brand	22,690	446	20.2%	Wrong technique in product usage process
Albuterol	generic	17,807	2,401	72.9%	Dyspnoea
Salmeterol xinafoate	generic	2,557	48	53.5%	Drug ineffective
Formoterol fumarate	generic	1,639	81	96.9%	Asthma
ProAir RespiClickAlbuterol sulfate	brand	1,611	5	9.1%	Drug ineffective
Levalbuterol tartrate	generic	736	205	5.6%	Device delivery system issue

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

Dyspnoeashortness of breath22.1%20,316
Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way19%17,443
Asthmaasthma16.5%15,110
Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected12.2%11,230
Device delivery system issuea problem with the delivery system12.1%11,126
Drug dose omission by device10.8%9,950
Wheezingwheezing10.6%9,753
No adverse eventno adverse event was reported9.3%8,514
Coughcough8.7%8,031
Therapeutic product effect incomplete6.8%6,214
Wrong technique in device usage process6.1%5,589
Loss of personal independence in daily activities5.8%5,299
Device use errora mistake in using the device5.7%5,222
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.9%4,508
Sleep disorder due to a general medical condition4.9%4,483
Full blood count abnormal4.7%4,276
Pneumonialung infection4.4%4,008
Obstructive airways disorder4.2%3,818
Chest discomfortchest discomfort3.8%3,531
Productive cougha cough with phlegm3.7%3,380
Headachehead pain3.6%3,326
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell3.5%3,250
Product quality issuea problem with the product itself3.5%3,248
Hypertensionhigh blood pressure3.4%3,082
Product dose omission issuea dose was missed3.3%3,069

Solid bar: share of all class reports. Hollow bar: the median share across the 7 member drugs, the reference used on each member's page. One report can record several terms.

Outcomes, patients and reporters

Outcomes recorded

Death4.6%4,236

Life-threatening3.3%3,000

Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)19.2%17,604

Disability2%1,826

Congenital anomaly1%888

Other serious31.2%28,680

Not serious59.5%54,663

Patient age

Under 20.4%364

2 to 111.3%1,171

12 to 170.8%719

18 to 446.2%5,699

45 to 6413.4%12,343

65 to 748.7%7,961

75 and over8%7,309

Age not given61.3%56,251

Who reported

Physician9%8,287

Pharmacist3.3%2,997

Other health professional12.4%11,384

Lawyer0.1%119

Consumer or non-health professional73.9%67,879

Not given1.3%1,151

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 beta2-Adrenergic agonist reports

Which drugs are in the beta2-Adrenergic agonist class on this site?

Albuterol sulfate, Ventolin Hfa, Albuterol, Salmeterol xinafoate, Formoterol fumarate and ProAir RespiClick and 1 more. Class membership comes from the pharmacologic class (EPC) on the drug's FDA label.

How many reports does the class have?

91,817 reports through June 2026, 7,395 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?

dyspnoea (22.1%), wrong technique in product usage process (19%), asthma (16.5%), drug ineffective (12.2%) and device delivery system issue (12.1%).

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.