Reported Reactions

Drugs › Bisphosphonate

Generic name

Risedronate sodium: adverse event reports filed with FDA

3,512 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Bisphosphonate. Also reported as Risedronate Sodium Delayed-Release, Risedronate Sodium Tablets Usp, Risedronate Na.

3,512
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 156 a year
552
reports, 12 months to June 2026
518 in the 12 months before
92.5%
marked serious by the reporter
90.3% across the class
4.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
147 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 3,512 adverse event reports received by FDA list risedronate sodium, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (9,097) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 552 reports listed it, close to the 518 of 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 156 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 3.6% of the reports for the bisphosphonate class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The MedDRA terms listed most often are asthma (34%), drug hypersensitivity (33.4%) and vomiting (29.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 866 different terms appear across these reports. Asthma is recorded in 34% of these reports, a larger share than in the median bisphosphonate drug (2.6%).

92.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (90.3% across the class); 4.2% record death among the outcomes and 28.6% record hospitalisation, as reported. 51.2% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 65 to 74 (32.7%). 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

04385Jul 2021: 22Aug 2021: 21Sep 2021: 29Oct 2021: 40Nov 2021: 24Dec 2021: 322022Jan 2022: 22Feb 2022: 29Mar 2022: 18Apr 2022: 34May 2022: 21Jun 2022: 27Jul 2022: 20Aug 2022: 25Sep 2022: 24Oct 2022: 43Nov 2022: 39Dec 2022: 452023Jan 2023: 35Feb 2023: 29Mar 2023: 44Apr 2023: 41May 2023: 36Jun 2023: 22Jul 2023: 30Aug 2023: 40Sep 2023: 24Oct 2023: 47Nov 2023: 34Dec 2023: 302024Jan 2024: 30Feb 2024: 44Mar 2024: 32Apr 2024: 49May 2024: 46Jun 2024: 47Jul 2024: 54Aug 2024: 34Sep 2024: 59Oct 2024: 85Nov 2024: 41Dec 2024: 302025Jan 2025: 16Feb 2025: 31Mar 2025: 51Apr 2025: 29May 2025: 16Jun 2025: 72Jul 2025: 77Aug 2025: 36Sep 2025: 46Oct 2025: 61Nov 2025: 57Dec 2025: 582026Jan 2026: 24Feb 2026: 50Mar 2026: 35Apr 2026: 34May 2026: 30Jun 2026: 44

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

02765512004: 920042005: 242006: 262007: 3420072008: 472009: 602010: 7020102011: 432012: 622013: 2920132014: 252015: 382016: 6120162017: 552018: 1092019: 22120192020: 2452021: 2772022: 34720222023: 4122024: 5512025: 55020252026: 217

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Risedronate sodium reports recording the termmedian drug in bisphosphonate

  1. Asthmaasthma34%1,193
  2. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine33.4%1,173
  3. Vomitingbeing sick29.8%1,047
  4. Dyspnoeashortness of breath28.6%1,006
  5. Pneumonialung infection27.4%963
  6. Wheezingwheezing26.3%925
  7. Oedemaswelling from fluid26.2%919
  8. Painpain, site not specified21.6%758
  9. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell18.2%640
  10. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected18.1%636
  11. Coughcough14.2%499
  12. Chest painchest pain11.1%390
  13. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label11.1%390
  14. Nauseafeeling sick10.9%384
  15. Respiratory tract infectiona respiratory infection10.3%363
  16. Fatiguetiredness9.6%336
  17. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse9.2%322
  18. Rheumatoid arthritisrheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease9.1%318
  19. Mobility decreasedreduced ability to move about8.5%297
  20. Arthralgiajoint pain8.2%289
  21. Pyrexiafever7.6%266
  22. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools7.1%249
  23. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure7%247
  24. Headachehead pain7%245
  25. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated6.8%240
  26. Infectionan infection, type not specified6.8%240
  27. Oedema peripheralswelling of the legs, ankles or hands6.3%220

Top 30 of 866 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 9 drugs in the bisphosphonate 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

Death4.2%147
Life-threatening6.4%225
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)28.6%1,004
Disability8.1%283
Congenital anomaly1.8%62
Other serious80.9%2,840
Not serious7.5%263

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 97,060 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%0
2 to 110.1%2
12 to 170.2%8
18 to 445.1%178
45 to 6416.9%594
65 to 7432.7%1,149
75 and over24.3%854
Age not given20.7%727

Patient sex

Female82.5%2,899
Male7.9%279
Not given9.5%334

Who reported

Physician24.2%849
Pharmacist2.8%97
Other health professional51.2%1,798
Lawyer0.5%16
Consumer or non-health professional20%704
Not given1.4%48

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 12% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Osteoporosis73821%
Rheumatoid arthritis601.7%
Osteoporosis prophylaxis581.7%
Osteoporosis postmenopausal451.3%
Osteopenia320.9%
Osteitis deformans160.5%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 3,512 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Risedronate sodium reports
Prednisone1,49742.6%
Rituximab1,20834.4%
Ergocalciferol91626.1%
Omalizumab83723.8%
Aspirin83123.7%
Clonazepam77422%
Tramadol hydrochloride75321.4%
Calcium72420.6%
Singulair69619.8%
Folic acid66819%

Other products listed in reports where Risedronate sodium 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

MeasureRisedronate sodiumBisphosphonateAll reports
Reports as suspect product3,51297,06020,646,523
Share of that pool—3.6%0%
Reports, latest 12 months552—1,332,454
Marked serious92.5%90.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports4213891
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports286369213
Consumer-filed share20%28%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsAsthma 34%median 2.6%0.5%

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 bisphosphonate class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Fosamaxbrand34,8441,31192.2%
Alendronate sodiumgeneric18,0821,52890.4%
Zoledronic acidgeneric16,6821,86897.1%
Reclastbrand10,38240281%
Actonelbrand6,0393384.3%
Alendronatebrand4,04521379.6%
Pamidronate disodiumgeneric2,1363296.9%
Ibandronate sodiumgeneric1,3386071.5%

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 Risedronate sodium reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Risedronate sodium?

3,512 reports list Risedronate sodium as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 552 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 9,097 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Risedronate sodium reports?

asthma (34%), drug hypersensitivity (33.4%), vomiting (29.8%), dyspnoea (28.6%) and pneumonia (27.4%). 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 Risedronate sodium was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

92.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 4.2% of reports include death and 28.6% 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?

other health professional (51.2%), physician (24.2%) and consumer or non-health professional (20%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Risedronate sodium rising?

552 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 518 of 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 Risedronate sodium 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 Risedronate sodium?

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 Risedronate sodium as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (9,097) 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.