Reported Reactions

Drugs › Prostaglandin E1 analog

Brand name · Diclofenac sodium and misoprostol

Arthrotec: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,303 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Prostaglandin E1 analog. Also reported as Arthrotec /00372302/, Arthrotec 50.

2,303
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 102 a year
10
reports, 12 months to June 2026
28 in the 12 months before
66.8%
marked serious by the reporter
58.1% across the class
2.8%
record death among outcomes, as reported
65 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and May 2026, 2,303 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Arthrotec (diclofenac sodium and misoprostol) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (4,230) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 10 reports listed it, down 64% from 28 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 102 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 25.2% of the reports for the prostaglandin E1 analog class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are drug ineffective (20.7%), drug hypersensitivity (17.5%) and pain (11.7%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 530 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 20.7% of these reports, a larger share than in the median prostaglandin E1 analog drug (3.8%).

66.8% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (58.1% across the class); 2.8% record death among the outcomes and 19.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 46.6% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (31.3%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

0713Jul 2021: 13Aug 2021: 2Sep 2021: 5Oct 2021: 7Nov 2021: 2Dec 2021: 22022Jan 2022: 8Feb 2022: 2Mar 2022: 8Apr 2022: 10May 2022: 11Jun 2022: 9Jul 2022: 7Aug 2022: 9Sep 2022: 8Oct 2022: 3Nov 2022: 7Dec 2022: 102023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 5Mar 2023: 2Apr 2023: 3May 2023: 3Jun 2023: 6Jul 2023: 2Aug 2023: 1Sep 2023: 1Oct 2023: 3Nov 2023: 1Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 3Apr 2024: 3May 2024: 5Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 2Sep 2024: 3Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 22025Jan 2025: 12Feb 2025: 2Mar 2025: 2Apr 2025: 2May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 2Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 1Nov 2025: 1Dec 2025: 12026Jan 2026: 3Feb 2026: 3Mar 2026: 0Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 1Jun 2026: 0

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

01092172004: 2620042005: 1022006: 622007: 7220072008: 462009: 532010: 21720102011: 1182012: 1722013: 14320132014: 1082015: 1282016: 15220162017: 1662018: 1912019: 13620192020: 1752021: 642022: 9220222023: 292024: 202025: 2420252026: 7

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Arthrotec reports recording the termmedian drug in prostaglandin e1 analog

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected20.7%477
  2. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine17.5%404
  3. Painpain, site not specified11.7%269
  4. Rheumatoid arthritisrheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease9.9%229
  5. Nauseafeeling sick9.1%210
  6. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated8.5%195
  7. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse7.6%174
  8. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell7.4%171
  9. Infectionan infection, type not specified7.3%168
  10. International normalised ratio fluctuation6.5%149
  11. Fatiguetiredness6.1%140
  12. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools5.6%129
  13. Arthralgiajoint pain5.5%127
  14. Vomitingbeing sick5.3%121
  15. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort4.8%111
  16. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness4.8%111
  17. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg4.8%111
  18. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain4.3%99
  19. Bloody discharge4.2%97
  20. Muscle spasmsmuscle cramps4.1%94
  21. Lyme disease4%93
  22. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label3.7%86
  23. Arthritis3.7%85
  24. Rashskin rash3.4%79
  25. Falla fall3.4%78
  26. Headachehead pain3%70
  27. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines3%69

Top 30 of 530 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 3 drugs in the prostaglandin e1 analog class; it describes the reports, not the patients. 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."

Outcomes recorded

Death2.8%65
Life-threatening3.5%81
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)19.8%455
Disability6.1%141
Congenital anomaly0.1%3
Other serious53%1,220
Not serious33.2%765

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 9,132 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 20%1
2 to 110%0
12 to 171.2%28
18 to 443.6%83
45 to 6431.3%721
65 to 7412.9%296
75 and over12.6%291
Age not given38.3%883

Patient sex

Female69%1,589
Male21%484
Not given10%230

Who reported

Physician17.2%396
Pharmacist3.3%75
Other health professional27.1%625
Lawyer0.2%5
Consumer or non-health professional46.6%1,073
Not given5.6%129

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 56.1% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Rheumatoid arthritis39917.3%
Arthritis31913.9%
Osteoarthritis1074.6%
Arthralgia683%
Pain582.5%
Back pain411.8%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,303 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Arthrotec reports
Methotrexate38616.8%
Celebrex33514.5%
Prednisone33514.5%
Lyrica32814.2%
Humira30513.2%
Enbrel29012.6%
Plaquenil24910.8%
Sulfasalazine24710.7%
Leflunomide2149.3%
Arava2038.8%

Other products listed in reports where Arthrotec is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureArthrotecProstaglandin E1 analogAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,3039,13220,646,523
Share of that pool—25.2%0%
Reports, latest 12 months10—1,332,454
Marked serious66.8%58.1%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports284191
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports198255213
Consumer-filed share46.6%22.6%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 20.7%median 3.8%6.3%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. 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."

Other drugs in the prostaglandin e1 analog class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Misoprostolgeneric5,33411544.6%
Cytotecbrand1,4953392.9%

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." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Arthrotec reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Arthrotec?

2,303 reports list Arthrotec as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 10 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 4,230 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Arthrotec reports?

drug ineffective (20.7%), drug hypersensitivity (17.5%), pain (11.7%), rheumatoid arthritis (9.9%) and nausea (9.1%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Arthrotec was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

66.8% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 2.8% of reports include death and 19.8% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (46.6%), other health professional (27.1%) and physician (17.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Arthrotec rising?

10 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 64% from 28 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Arthrotec was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Arthrotec?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. 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 report counts here when it lists Arthrotec as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (4,230) are excluded. 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.