Drugs › Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Generic name
Ibuprofen tablets: adverse event reports filed with FDA
690 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2021. Class: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
- 690
- reports as suspect product
- 0% of all reports · about 31 a year
- 0
- reports, 12 months to June 2026
- 0 in the 12 months before
- 95.2%
- marked serious by the reporter
- 71.8% across the class
- 18%
- record death among outcomes, as reported
- 124 reports · not verified by FDA
Between August 2004 and September 2021, 690 adverse event reports received by FDA list ibuprofen tablets, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (722) are left out of every figure here.
In the 12 months to June 2026, 0 reports listed it, and none 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 31 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.1% of the reports for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.
Reporters most often recorded renal failure acute (5.9%), death (5.5%) and overdose (4.5%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 260 different terms appear across these reports. Renal failure acute is recorded in 5.9% of these reports, a larger share than in the median nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug drug (0.2%).
95.2% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (71.8% across the class); 18% record death among the outcomes and 46.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 34.3% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (24.2%). 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
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
Reactions recorded in the reports
share of Ibuprofen tablets reports recording the termmedian drug in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
- Renal failure acute5.9%41
- Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term5.5%38
- Overdosea dose above the recommended amount4.5%31
- Drug interactionan interaction between medicines3.6%25
- Nauseafeeling sick3.3%23
- Vomitingbeing sick3.2%22
- Gastrointestinal haemorrhagebleeding in the stomach or bowel3%21
- Completed suicidedeath by suicide2.8%19
- Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.8%19
- Abdominal painstomach or belly pain2.2%15
- Blood creatinine increasedraised creatinine, a kidney test2.2%15
- Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2%14
- Haematemesis2%14
- Rashskin rash2%14
- Anaemialow red blood cells1.9%13
- Drug toxicity1.9%13
- Metabolic acidosistoo much acid in the body fluids1.9%13
- Melaenablack tarry stools1.6%11
- Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped1.4%10
- Convulsion1.4%10
- Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.4%10
- Gastric haemorrhage1.4%10
- Intentional overdosea deliberate overdose1.4%10
- Suicide attempta suicide attempt1.4%10
- Cardio-respiratory arrestthe heart and breathing stopped1.3%9
- Coma1.3%9
- Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse1.3%9
- Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected1.3%9
- Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction1.3%9
- Loss of consciousnesspassing out1.3%9
Top 30 of 260 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 47 drugs in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug 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
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 548,672 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
Patient sex
Who reported
Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 46.2% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.
Reason for use recorded
| Indication as recorded (MedDRA) | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pain | 40 | 5.8% |
| Headache | 26 | 3.8% |
| Back pain | 21 | 3% |
| Osteoarthritis | 20 | 2.9% |
| Arthritis | 15 | 2.2% |
| Arthralgia | 14 | 2% |
The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 690 reports.
In context
| Measure | Ibuprofen tablets | Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug | All reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reports as suspect product | 690 | 548,672 | 20,646,523 |
| Share of that pool | — | 0.1% | 0% |
| Reports, latest 12 months | 0 | — | 1,332,454 |
| Marked serious | 95.2% | 71.8% | 57.4% |
| Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports | 180 | 162 | 91 |
| Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports | 468 | 356 | 213 |
| Consumer-filed share | 16.5% | 38.7% | 45.8% |
| Top term, share of reports | Renal failure acute 5.9% | median 0.2% | 0.2% |
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 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class
| Drug | Name type | Reports | Latest 12 months | Marked serious |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetaminophen | generic | 86,936 | 11,554 | 94.8% |
| Ibuprofen | generic | 77,058 | 5,632 | 82.8% |
| Aspirin | generic | 72,158 | 3,575 | 93.2% |
| Diclofenac sodium | generic | 51,920 | 2,979 | 51.8% |
| Aleve | brand | 49,101 | 351 | 16.4% |
| Celebrex | brand | 45,731 | 735 | 72.2% |
| Diclofenac | generic | 27,760 | 2,842 | 91.6% |
| Naproxen | generic | 23,872 | 2,147 | 90.7% |
| Advil | brand | 19,649 | 522 | 27.6% |
| Celecoxib | generic | 15,201 | 1,925 | 82% |
| Naproxen sodium | generic | 9,874 | 1,220 | 79% |
| Meloxicam | generic | 7,860 | 459 | 73.1% |
| Diclofenac potassium | generic | 5,702 | 1,240 | 97.8% |
| Ketoprofen | generic | 5,639 | 661 | 98.3% |
| Advil pm | generic | 4,978 | 134 | 11.1% |
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 Ibuprofen tablets reports
How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Ibuprofen tablets?
690 reports list Ibuprofen tablets as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 0 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 722 list it only as a concomitant medication.
What reactions are recorded in Ibuprofen tablets reports?
renal failure acute (5.9%), death (5.5%), overdose (4.5%), drug interaction (3.6%) and nausea (3.3%). 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 Ibuprofen tablets was responsible.
How serious are the reports?
95.2% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 18% of reports include death and 46.8% 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 (34.3%), physician (22.3%) and consumer or non-health professional (16.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.
Are reports for Ibuprofen tablets rising?
0 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, and none 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 Ibuprofen tablets 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 Ibuprofen tablets?
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 Ibuprofen tablets as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (722) 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.