Reported Reactions

Drugs

Product name as reported

Kadian: adverse event reports filed with FDA

20,205 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026.

20,205
reports as suspect product
0.1% of all reports · about 902 a year
17
reports, 12 months to June 2026
1 in the 12 months before
99.6%
marked serious by the reporter
57.4% across all reports
86.7%
record death among outcomes, as reported
17,518 reports · not verified by FDA

Between February 2004 and June 2026, 20,205 adverse event reports received by FDA list the product name "Kadian" as reporters wrote it as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (966) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 17 reports listed it, up 1600% from 1 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 902 reports a year and 0.1% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded death (46.8%), toxicity to various agents (39.8%) and overdose (19.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 360 different terms appear across these reports. Death is recorded in 46.8% of these reports, against 4.1% of all reports in the database.

99.6% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter; 86.7% record death among the outcomes and 6% record hospitalisation, as reported. 84.8% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (1.1%). 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

0714Jul 2021: 1Aug 2021: 2Sep 2021: 2Oct 2021: 2Nov 2021: 2Dec 2021: 52022Jan 2022: 3Feb 2022: 0Mar 2022: 4Apr 2022: 0May 2022: 8Jun 2022: 2Jul 2022: 1Aug 2022: 1Sep 2022: 0Oct 2022: 1Nov 2022: 0Dec 2022: 02023Jan 2023: 1Feb 2023: 0Mar 2023: 0Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 0Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 0Sep 2023: 0Oct 2023: 11Nov 2023: 14Dec 2023: 32024Jan 2024: 1Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 1Apr 2024: 1May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 0Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 0Sep 2024: 0Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 1May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 3Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 4Mar 2026: 4Apr 2026: 2May 2026: 2Jun 2026: 2

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

08,97217,9442004: 2520042005: 502006: 282007: 3520072008: 842009: 522010: 19820102011: 1762012: 852013: 16220132014: 142015: 192016: 1620162017: 4362018: 17,9442019: 3120192020: 6892021: 912022: 2020222023: 292024: 32025: 420252026: 14

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Kadian reports recording the termall reports in the database

  1. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term46.8%9,460
  2. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances39.8%8,036
  3. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount19.9%4,020
  4. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine8.2%1,649
  5. Drug dependencedependence on a medicine7.5%1,520
  6. Accidental overdosean accidental overdose2.9%596
  7. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine1.8%369
  8. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy1.6%332
  9. Intentional product misusedeliberate use not as intended1.4%292
  10. Painpain, site not specified1%201
  11. Tremorshaking0.7%138
  12. Cryingcrying0.6%128
  13. Poor feeding infant0.6%128
  14. Hepatitis Chepatitis C infection0.6%126
  15. Live birth0.6%126
  16. Opisthotonus0.6%125
  17. Developmental delayslower development in a child0.6%121
  18. Drug withdrawal syndromesymptoms on stopping a medicine0.4%77
  19. Exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy0.3%70
  20. Completed suicidedeath by suicide0.3%69
  21. Vomitingbeing sick0.2%36
  22. Nauseafeeling sick0.2%35
  23. Somnolencedrowsiness0.2%34
  24. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected0.2%33
  25. Depressionlow mood0.2%32

Top 30 of 360 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 share of all reports in the database; 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

Death86.7%17,518
Life-threatening0.1%29
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)6%1,214
Disability0.2%32
Congenital anomaly1.7%350
Other serious21.4%4,325
Not serious0.4%90

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 20,646,523 reports. 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 20.5%102
2 to 110%5
12 to 170.1%12
18 to 440.9%184
45 to 641.1%221
65 to 740.2%35
75 and over0.1%24
Age not given97.1%19,622

Patient sex

Female4.8%971
Male2.8%564
Not given92.4%18,670

Who reported

Physician1.5%302
Pharmacist0.1%22
Other health professional0.4%89
Lawyer84.8%17,133
Consumer or non-health professional10.9%2,196
Not given2.3%463

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 99.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Pain17,99289%
Back pain550.3%
Intentional drug misuse120.1%
Completed suicide90%
Maternal exposure timing unspecified70%
Eye pain50%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 20,205 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Kadian reports
Percocet19,08794.5%
Opana Er19,01894.1%
Opana19,00994.1%
Actiq18,99294%
Fentora18,97993.9%
Duragesic18,97893.9%
Percodan18,78893%
OxyContin18,70392.6%
Norco18,69892.5%
Oxycodone hydrochloride18,62592.2%

Other products listed in reports where Kadian 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

MeasureKadianAll reports
Reports as suspect product20,20520,646,523
Share of that pool—0.1%
Reports, latest 12 months171,332,454
Marked serious99.6%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports86791
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports60213
Consumer-filed share10.9%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDeath 46.8%4.1%

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."

Questions about Kadian reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Kadian?

20,205 reports list Kadian as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 17 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 966 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Kadian reports?

death (46.8%), toxicity to various agents (39.8%), overdose (19.9%), drug abuse (8.2%) and drug dependence (7.5%). 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 Kadian was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

99.6% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 86.7% of reports include death and 6% 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?

lawyer (84.8%), consumer or non-health professional (10.9%) and not given (2.3%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Kadian rising?

17 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 1600% from 1 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 Kadian 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 Kadian?

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 Kadian as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (966) 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.