Pharmacologic class (EPC) · 2 drug pages

Glycopeptide antibacterial: adverse event reports filed with FDA

35,654 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.

35,654
reports across the class: 0.2% of all reports; 2,788
reports, 12 months to June 2026: 3,157 in the 12 months before; 91.2%
marked serious by the reporter: 57.4% across all reports; 2
drugs with a page: brand and generic names counted separately

Glycopeptide antibacterial 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 35,654 adverse event reports received by FDA, 0.2% of the database, from January 2004 to June 2026.

2,788 reports arrived in the 12 months to June 2026, down 12% from 3,157 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. 91.2% of the class's reports are marked serious, 16.1% record death among the outcomes and 48.9% record hospitalisation, as reported.

Across the class the reactions recorded most often are drug ineffective (14.3%), acute kidney injury (10.5%) and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (6.9%). 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
Vancomycin	generic	30,409	2,400	91.8%	Drug ineffective
Vancomycin hydrochloride	generic	5,245	388	87.5%	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 expected14.3%5,085
Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function10.5%3,736
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptomsDRESS, a severe reaction with rash, fever and organ involvement6.9%2,452
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label6.2%2,212
Pyrexiafever5.3%1,880
Rashskin rash4.4%1,573
Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse3.7%1,320
Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine3.6%1,294
Pruritusitching2.9%1,035
Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.5%909
Nephropathy toxic2.5%897
Septic shockshock arising from infection2.5%889
Thrombocytopenialow platelets2.4%861
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2.3%811
Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.3%805
Renal failurekidney failure2.2%792
Treatment failurethe treatment did not work2.2%776
Renal impairmentreduced kidney function2.1%756
Sepsisa severe body-wide response to infection2.1%747
Renal tubular necrosis2.1%739
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.1%738
Erythemaskin redness2.1%736
Eosinophilia2.1%731
Clostridium difficile infection2%727
Blood creatinine increasedraised creatinine, a kidney test2%721

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

Death16.1%5,749

Life-threatening13.3%4,732

Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)48.9%17,426

Disability1.6%566

Congenital anomaly0.1%23

Other serious57.4%20,458

Not serious8.8%3,134

Patient age

Under 22.5%887

2 to 113.9%1,379

12 to 172.7%959

18 to 4416.1%5,740

45 to 6425.7%9,163

65 to 7415%5,338

75 and over11.3%4,019

Age not given22.9%8,169

Who reported

Physician26.5%9,441

Pharmacist13.3%4,754

Other health professional47.9%17,080

Lawyer0.1%29

Consumer or non-health professional7.6%2,714

Not given4.6%1,636

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 Glycopeptide antibacterial reports

Which drugs are in the Glycopeptide antibacterial class on this site?

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

How many reports does the class have?

35,654 reports through June 2026, 2,788 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 (14.3%), acute kidney injury (10.5%), drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (6.9%), off label use (6.2%) and pyrexia (5.3%).

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.