Reports received by FDA, by month

December 2017: adverse event reports received by FDA

98,017 drug reports (FAERS) and 82,343 device reports (MAUDE).

Read first · FDA's statement on these data

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. openFDA, FDA

FDA adds: "There is no certainty that the reported event (adverse event or medication error) was actually due to the product. FDA does not require that a causal relationship between a product and event be proven, and reports do not always contain enough detail to properly evaluate an event." The information in these reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

98,017
drug reports received: 88,083 a year earlier; 103,487
monthly average, preceding 12 months: -5.3% against the average; 82,343
device reports received: 78,864 a year earlier

FDA received 98,017 drug adverse event reports in December 2017, against 88,083 in the same month a year earlier and a monthly average of 103,487 over the preceding 12 months. The MAUDE device database received 82,343 reports that month (78,864 a year earlier).

The drugs listed most often as suspect products were Abilify (5,627), Enbrel (3,833) and Humira (2,371), and the reactions recorded most often were drug ineffective (6,150), death (5,570) and off label use (3,962).

Relative to their own average over the preceding 12 months, the drugs whose report count rose most were Abilify (24.9× its average), Atropine Sulfate/Diphenoxylate Hydrochloride (18.9× its average) and Tioconazole (13.4× its average). A jump in one month usually reflects a batch of reports from a manufacturer, a publicised event or a new product, not a change in what happens to patients.

Drug reports by month, three years to December 2017

Drugs listed most often as suspect products

Drug	Reports	Share of the month
Abilify	5,627	5.7%
Enbrel	3,833	3.9%
Humira	2,371	2.4%
Revlimid	1,951	2%
Otezla	1,578	1.6%
Methotrexate	1,401	1.4%
Tarceva	1,277	1.3%
Cosentyx	1,248	1.3%
Aripiprazole	1,177	1.2%
Methotrexate sodium	1,078	1.1%
Tecfidera	1,077	1.1%
Dexamethasone	1,018	1%
Eliquis	920	0.9%
Hydrocodone	909	0.9%
Docetaxel	867	0.9%

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."

Largest rises against their own average

Drug	Reports this month	Times its 12-month average
Abilify	5,627	24.9×
Atropine Sulfate/Diphenoxylate Hydrochloride	271	18.9×
Tioconazole	161	13.4×
Minivelle	283	11×
Norco	368	10.2×
Aripiprazole	1,177	9.9×
Actiq	755	9.4×
Percodan	744	9.3×

Drugs with at least 50 reports in the month and an average of at least 10 a month over the preceding year. A rise usually reflects a batch of manufacturer reports, a publicised event or a new product.

Reactions recorded most often

MedDRA term	Reports	Share of the month
Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected	6,150	6.3%
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term	5,570	5.7%
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label	3,962	4%
Fatiguetiredness	3,679	3.8%
Nauseafeeling sick	3,540	3.6%
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools	3,248	3.3%
Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances	3,135	3.2%
Dyspnoeashortness of breath	2,881	2.9%
Headachehead pain	2,856	2.9%
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell	2,590	2.6%
Completed suicidedeath by suicide	2,568	2.6%
Painpain, site not specified	2,273	2.3%
Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness	2,223	2.3%
Vomitingbeing sick	2,132	2.2%
Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label	1,994	2%

Devices named most often

Brand	Reports	Share of device reports
Dexcom G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	11,007	13.4%
Animas Vibe	1,817	2.2%
Essure	1,734	2.1%
Capsurefix Novus	1,310	1.6%
Endo GIA	1,086	1.3%
630G Insulin PUMP MMT-1715K 630G BLACK MG	962	1.2%
T Slim G5 System	900	1.1%
LifeVest WCD 4000 System	828	1%
Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	817	1%
640G Insulin Pump MMT-1711K	761	0.9%

Questions about December 2017

How many adverse event reports did FDA receive in December 2017?

98,017 drug reports are in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, and 82,343 device reports in the MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026. The same month a year earlier has 88,083 drug reports.

Which drugs were listed most often?

Abilify (5,627), Enbrel (3,833), Humira (2,371), Revlimid (1,951) and Otezla (1,578).

Which reactions were recorded most often?

drug ineffective (6,150), death (5,570), off label use (3,962), fatigue (3,679) and nausea (3,540).

Can the count for a month still change?

Yes. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Older months change little.

Does a busy month mean something happened that month?

Not by itself. The date is when FDA received the report, not when the event occurred, and volume follows manufacturer batches, product launches and publicity. 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."

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. 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.