Pharmacologic class (EPC) · 5 drug pages

Lincosamide antibacterial: adverse event reports filed with FDA

20,239 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.

20,239
reports across the class: 0.1% of all reports; 1,044
reports, 12 months to June 2026: 1,377 in the 12 months before; 68.3%
marked serious by the reporter: 57.4% across all reports; 5
drugs with a page: brand and generic names counted separately

Lincosamide antibacterial is a pharmacologic class (an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class) with 5 drug pages on this site. Together those drugs are listed as a suspect or interacting product in 20,239 adverse event reports received by FDA, 0.1% of the database, from January 2004 to June 2026.

1,044 reports arrived in the 12 months to June 2026, down 24% from 1,377 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. 68.3% of the class's reports are marked serious, 6% record death among the outcomes and 32% record hospitalisation, as reported.

Across the class the reactions recorded most often are drug hypersensitivity (21%), drug ineffective (10.4%) and diarrhoea (7.9%). 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
Clindamycin	generic	12,779	648	73.7%	Drug hypersensitivity
Clindamycin hcl	generic	3,082	0	44.7%	Drug hypersensitivity
Clindamycin phosphate	generic	1,891	134	66.5%	Drug ineffective
Clindamycin hydrochloride	generic	1,836	255	87.7%	Diarrhoea
CleocinClindamycin phosphate	brand	651	7	24.7%	Drug hypersensitivity

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 hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine21%4,255
Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected10.4%2,106
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools7.9%1,591
Rashskin rash7.8%1,571
Nauseafeeling sick5%1,005
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.7%956
Pruritusitching4.1%827
Dyspnoeashortness of breath3.6%736
Pyrexiafever3.5%710
Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse3.2%639
Urticariahives3.2%638
Painpain, site not specified2.9%592
Vomitingbeing sick2.8%565
Erythemaskin redness2.6%526
Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain2.4%490
Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function2.3%473
Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction2.3%469
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell2.3%465
Rash maculo-papulara rash of flat and raised spots2.2%441
Clostridium difficile infection2.1%435
Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.1%435
Headachehead pain2.1%433
Arthralgiajoint pain2.1%427
Fatiguetiredness2.1%418
Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort2%410

Solid bar: share of all class reports. Hollow bar: the median share across the 5 member drugs, the reference used on each member's page. One report can record several terms.

Outcomes, patients and reporters

Outcomes recorded

Death6%1,213

Life-threatening6.7%1,362

Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)32%6,480

Disability2.5%502

Congenital anomaly0.4%78

Other serious45.1%9,127

Not serious31.7%6,415

Patient age

Under 20.6%117

2 to 112.1%423

12 to 172.6%522

18 to 4416.8%3,408

45 to 6423.7%4,803

65 to 7411.9%2,401

75 and over10.9%2,201

Age not given31.4%6,364

Who reported

Physician35.1%7,103

Pharmacist7.8%1,571

Other health professional32.3%6,544

Lawyer0.2%48

Consumer or non-health professional21%4,256

Not given3.5%717

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 Lincosamide antibacterial reports

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

Clindamycin, Clindamycin hcl, Clindamycin phosphate, Clindamycin hydrochloride and Cleocin. Class membership comes from the pharmacologic class (EPC) on the drug's FDA label.

How many reports does the class have?

20,239 reports through June 2026, 1,044 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 hypersensitivity (21%), drug ineffective (10.4%), diarrhoea (7.9%), rash (7.8%) and nausea (5%).

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.