Reports received by FDA, by month

March 2018: adverse event reports received by FDA

116,866 drug reports (FAERS) and 81,845 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.

116,866
drug reports received: 113,668 a year earlier; 107,752
monthly average, preceding 12 months: 8.5% against the average; 81,845
device reports received: 84,294 a year earlier

FDA received 116,866 drug adverse event reports in March 2018, against 113,668 in the same month a year earlier and a monthly average of 107,752 over the preceding 12 months. The MAUDE device database received 81,845 reports that month (84,294 a year earlier).

The drugs listed most often as suspect products were Oxycodone hydrochloride (7,190), Norco (7,189) and OxyContin (7,172), and the reactions recorded most often were drug ineffective (8,181), toxicity to various agents (7,376) and death (5,622).

Relative to their own average over the preceding 12 months, the drugs whose report count rose most were Exalgo (212.3× its average), Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen (44.2× its average) and Roxicodone (43.8× 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 March 2018

Drugs listed most often as suspect products

Drug	Reports	Share of the month
Oxycodone hydrochloride	7,190	6.2%
Norco	7,189	6.2%
OxyContin	7,172	6.1%
Duragesic	7,153	6.1%
Dilaudid	7,146	6.1%
Percocet	7,133	6.1%
MS Contin	7,124	6.1%
Nucynta	7,121	6.1%
Butrans	7,120	6.1%
Opana Er	7,118	6.1%
Opana	7,115	6.1%
Hysingla ER	7,115	6.1%
Hydromorphone	7,105	6.1%
Fentora	7,081	6.1%
Actiq	7,078	6.1%

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
Exalgo	4,086	212.3×
Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen	6,513	44.2×
Roxicodone	4,138	43.8×
Kadian	7,072	32.5×
Norco	7,189	29.7×
Zydone	6,908	27.6×
Oxymorphone hcl	5,314	23.2×
Actiq	7,078	17.3×

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	8,181	7%
Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances	7,376	6.3%
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term	5,622	4.8%
Fatiguetiredness	4,487	3.8%
Nauseafeeling sick	4,188	3.6%
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label	4,131	3.5%
Headachehead pain	3,726	3.2%
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools	3,528	3%
Dyspnoeashortness of breath	3,226	2.8%
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell	2,953	2.5%
Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness	2,697	2.3%
Painpain, site not specified	2,638	2.3%
Vomitingbeing sick	2,460	2.1%
Drug dose omissiona dose was missed	2,414	2.1%
Pneumonialung infection	2,203	1.9%

Devices named most often

Brand	Reports	Share of device reports
Dexcom G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	10,908	13.3%
T Slim G5 System	1,701	2.1%
Animas Vibe	1,688	2.1%
Pump MMT-1780KPK 670G Pathway Black MG	1,251	1.5%
LifeVest WCD 4000 System	1,109	1.4%
Tosoh Hlc-723g8 Analyzer G8	833	1%
Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	783	1%
630G Insulin PUMP MMT-1715K 630G BLACK MG	773	0.9%
t:slim Insulin Delivery System	678	0.8%
t:slim G4 system	647	0.8%

Questions about March 2018

How many adverse event reports did FDA receive in March 2018?

116,866 drug reports are in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, and 81,845 device reports in the MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026. The same month a year earlier has 113,668 drug reports.

Which drugs were listed most often?

Oxycodone hydrochloride (7,190), Norco (7,189), OxyContin (7,172), Duragesic (7,153) and Dilaudid (7,146).

Which reactions were recorded most often?

drug ineffective (8,181), toxicity to various agents (7,376), death (5,622), fatigue (4,487) and nausea (4,188).

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.