Reports received by FDA, by month

May 2020: adverse event reports received by FDA

111,653 drug reports (FAERS) and 87,448 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.

111,653
drug reports received: 120,675 a year earlier; 121,322
monthly average, preceding 12 months: -8% against the average; 87,448
device reports received: 93,477 a year earlier

FDA received 111,653 drug adverse event reports in May 2020, against 120,675 in the same month a year earlier and a monthly average of 121,322 over the preceding 12 months. The MAUDE device database received 87,448 reports that month (93,477 a year earlier).

The drugs listed most often as suspect products were Humira (2,987), Nuplazid (2,788) and Cimzia (2,586), and the reactions recorded most often were drug ineffective (11,062), off label use (5,296) and death (5,079).

Relative to their own average over the preceding 12 months, the drugs whose report count rose most were Nuplazid (16.2× its average), Olopatadine hydrochloride (14× its average) and Opana Er (13.6× 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 May 2020

Drugs listed most often as suspect products

Drug	Reports	Share of the month
Humira	2,987	2.7%
Nuplazid	2,788	2.5%
Cimzia	2,586	2.3%
Methotrexate	2,484	2.2%
Esbriet	2,228	2%
Revlimid	2,036	1.8%
Prednisone	2,013	1.8%
Enbrel	1,896	1.7%
Xeljanz	1,810	1.6%
Rituximab	1,764	1.6%
Cosentyx	1,612	1.4%
Truvada	1,592	1.4%
Otezla	1,563	1.4%
Actemra	1,435	1.3%
Dupixent	1,324	1.2%

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
Nuplazid	2,788	16.2×
Olopatadine hydrochloride	290	14×
Opana Er	206	13.6×
Percodan	211	13.4×
Kadian	207	13.1×
Fentora	209	12.2×
Pataday	605	11.9×
Actiq	212	11.7×

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	11,062	9.9%
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label	5,296	4.7%
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term	5,079	4.5%
Fatiguetiredness	4,176	3.7%
Nauseafeeling sick	3,933	3.5%
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools	3,514	3.1%
Painpain, site not specified	3,453	3.1%
Headachehead pain	3,283	2.9%
Dyspnoeashortness of breath	3,183	2.9%
Rashskin rash	2,903	2.6%
Treatment failurethe treatment did not work	2,808	2.5%
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell	2,607	2.3%
Product dose omissiona dose was missed	2,589	2.3%
Arthralgiajoint pain	2,480	2.2%
Erythemaskin redness	2,424	2.2%

Devices named most often

Brand	Reports	Share of device reports
Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	12,891	14.7%
Pump MMT-1780KPK 670G Pathway Black MG	3,866	4.4%
t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Basal-IQ Technology	3,649	4.2%
t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Interoperable Technology	1,905	2.2%
Essure	1,891	2.2%
640G Insulin Pump MMT-1712K	1,366	1.6%
630G Insulin PUMP MMT-1715K 630G BLACK MG	1,104	1.3%
Natura	991	1.1%
640G Insulin Pump MMT-1711K	961	1.1%
LifeVest WCD 4000 System	936	1.1%

Questions about May 2020

How many adverse event reports did FDA receive in May 2020?

111,653 drug reports are in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, and 87,448 device reports in the MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026. The same month a year earlier has 120,675 drug reports.

Which drugs were listed most often?

Humira (2,987), Nuplazid (2,788), Cimzia (2,586), Methotrexate (2,484) and Esbriet (2,228).

Which reactions were recorded most often?

drug ineffective (11,062), off label use (5,296), death (5,079), fatigue (4,176) and nausea (3,933).

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.