Reported Reactions

Drugs › Corticosteroid

Generic name

Betamethasone valerate: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,391 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2006–2026. Class: Corticosteroid.

1,391
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 68 a year
105
reports, 12 months to June 2026
121 in the 12 months before
92.7%
marked serious by the reporter
77.7% across the class
8.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
113 reports · not verified by FDA

1,391 adverse event reports received by FDA list betamethasone valerate, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2006 to June 2026. A further 3,132 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 105 reports listed it, down 13% from 121 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 68 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.2% of the reports for the corticosteroid 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 (60.9%), macular degeneration (44.7%) and pain (26.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 451 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 60.9% of these reports, a larger share than in the median corticosteroid drug (13.4%).

92.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (77.7% across the class); 8.1% record death among the outcomes and 33.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 56.3% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (18.5%). 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

04080Jul 2021: 19Aug 2021: 63Sep 2021: 46Oct 2021: 33Nov 2021: 13Dec 2021: 802022Jan 2022: 30Feb 2022: 27Mar 2022: 36Apr 2022: 23May 2022: 19Jun 2022: 17Jul 2022: 15Aug 2022: 24Sep 2022: 10Oct 2022: 13Nov 2022: 8Dec 2022: 192023Jan 2023: 23Feb 2023: 22Mar 2023: 22Apr 2023: 19May 2023: 18Jun 2023: 16Jul 2023: 11Aug 2023: 28Sep 2023: 19Oct 2023: 18Nov 2023: 8Dec 2023: 122024Jan 2024: 14Feb 2024: 10Mar 2024: 19Apr 2024: 18May 2024: 12Jun 2024: 20Jul 2024: 14Aug 2024: 12Sep 2024: 10Oct 2024: 13Nov 2024: 4Dec 2024: 42025Jan 2025: 9Feb 2025: 14Mar 2025: 21Apr 2025: 4May 2025: 3Jun 2025: 13Jul 2025: 23Aug 2025: 6Sep 2025: 5Oct 2025: 6Nov 2025: 3Dec 2025: 32026Jan 2026: 8Feb 2026: 15Mar 2026: 8Apr 2026: 15May 2026: 6Jun 2026: 7

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

01953892006: 220062007: 72008: 32009: 420092010: 142011: 42012: 1120122013: 82014: 82015: 520152016: 132017: 172018: 2220182019: 402020: 682021: 38920212022: 2412023: 2162024: 15020242025: 1102026: 59

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Betamethasone valerate reports recording the termmedian drug in corticosteroid

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected60.9%847
  2. Macular degenerationa disease of the central retina44.7%622
  3. Painpain, site not specified26.8%373
  4. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label26.1%363
  5. Pyrexiafever21.2%295
  6. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell20.3%282
  7. Weight decreasedweight loss20.1%279
  8. Nauseafeeling sick17.6%245
  9. Infusion related reactiona reaction during or soon after an infusion15%209
  10. Erythemaskin redness14.7%205
  11. Chronic sinusitis14.7%204
  12. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain14.5%201
  13. Dyspepsiaindigestion13.7%190
  14. Vomitingbeing sick13.4%186
  15. Headachehead pain13.3%185
  16. Paraesthesiatingling or pins and needles12.5%174
  17. Memory impairmentmemory problems12.2%170
  18. Procedural painpain from a procedure12.2%170
  19. Hypoaesthesianumbness12.1%169
  20. Migrainemigraine12.1%169
  21. Haematocheziablood in the stool12%167
  22. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain11.9%166
  23. Oral candidiasisoral thrush11.7%163
  24. Colitisinflamed bowel11.6%161
  25. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated11.6%161

Top 30 of 451 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 74 drugs in the corticosteroid 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

Death8.1%113
Life-threatening8.7%121
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)33.8%470
Disability10.4%145
Congenital anomaly4.6%64
Other serious87.9%1,222
Not serious7.3%101

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 808,789 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 21.2%16
2 to 110.4%6
12 to 170.4%6
18 to 4418.5%257
45 to 6410%139
65 to 7416%223
75 and over6.3%88
Age not given47.2%656

Patient sex

Female75.7%1,053
Male9.2%128
Not given15.1%210

Who reported

Physician11.3%157
Pharmacist0.8%11
Other health professional56.3%783
Lawyer0.4%5
Consumer or non-health professional29.2%406
Not given2.1%29

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 9.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Eczema1107.9%
Psoriasis785.6%
Rheumatoid arthritis332.4%
Dermatitis atopic292.1%
Pruritus201.4%
Rash70.5%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,391 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Betamethasone valerate reports
Acetaminophen80858.1%
Ergocalciferol80357.7%
Prednisone76755.1%
Fluticasone furoate65847.3%
Cetirizine hydrochloride65447%
Triamcinolone acetonide64646.4%
Metronidazole62745.1%
Alprazolam62645%
Nadolol62144.6%
Clotrimazole62044.6%

Other products listed in reports where Betamethasone valerate 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

MeasureBetamethasone valerateCorticosteroidAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,391808,78920,646,523
Share of that pool—0.2%0%
Reports, latest 12 months105—1,332,454
Marked serious92.7%77.7%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports8114691
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports338336213
Consumer-filed share29.2%29.1%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 60.9%median 13.4%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 corticosteroid class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Prednisonegeneric183,86715,61491.4%
Dexamethasonegeneric129,6779,21695.1%
Prednisolonegeneric87,8066,62497.6%
Methylprednisolonegeneric49,5374,43095.2%
Symbicortbrand39,1191,17750.6%
Breo Elliptabrand22,22062831.7%
Hydrocortisonegeneric21,2632,38689.5%
Advair Diskusbrand20,51812029%
Advair Hfabrand19,62258954.9%
Budesonidegeneric14,7141,08382.2%
Desoximetasonegeneric12,2091,52599.2%
Floventbrand10,77217142.1%
Methylprednisolone sodium succinategeneric10,7721,63097.8%
Solu-medrolgeneric10,28843288.8%
Ciprobrand9,79110857.3%

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 Betamethasone valerate reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Betamethasone valerate?

1,391 reports list Betamethasone valerate as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 105 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 3,132 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Betamethasone valerate reports?

drug ineffective (60.9%), macular degeneration (44.7%), pain (26.8%), off label use (26.1%) and pyrexia (21.2%). 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 Betamethasone valerate was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

92.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 8.1% of reports include death and 33.8% 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?

other health professional (56.3%), consumer or non-health professional (29.2%) and physician (11.3%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Betamethasone valerate rising?

105 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 13% from 121 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 Betamethasone valerate 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 Betamethasone valerate?

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 Betamethasone valerate as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (3,132) 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.