Reports received by FDA, by month

December 2021: adverse event reports received by FDA

134,446 drug reports (FAERS) and 228,368 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.

134,446
drug reports received: 126,896 a year earlier; 129,883
monthly average, preceding 12 months: 3.5% against the average; 228,368
device reports received: 178,103 a year earlier

FDA received 134,446 drug adverse event reports in December 2021, against 126,896 in the same month a year earlier and a monthly average of 129,883 over the preceding 12 months. The MAUDE device database received 228,368 reports that month (178,103 a year earlier).

The drugs listed most often as suspect products were OxyContin (12,682), Zantac (6,939) and Oxycodone hydrochloride (6,511), and the reactions recorded most often were pain (13,987), drug dependence (13,880) and emotional distress (10,618).

Relative to their own average over the preceding 12 months, the drugs whose report count rose most were Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hydrochloride Oxycodone Terephthalate (22.7× its average), Wegovy (20.2× its average) and Bamlanivimab Etesevimab (9.8× 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 December 2021

Drugs listed most often as suspect products

Drug	Reports	Share of the month
OxyContin	12,682	9.4%
Zantac	6,939	5.2%
Oxycodone hydrochloride	6,511	4.8%
Revlimid	5,048	3.8%
Ranitidine	4,945	3.7%
Dupixent	4,775	3.6%
Dilaudid	3,846	2.9%
Hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen	3,767	2.8%
MS Contin	3,428	2.5%
Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hydrochloride	2,891	2.2%
Morphine sulfate	2,522	1.9%
ParaGard T 380A	2,416	1.8%
Humira	2,125	1.6%
Tramadol	1,895	1.4%
Hydrocodone bitartrate	1,851	1.4%

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
Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hydrochloride Oxycodone Terephthalate	1,656	22.7×
Wegovy	353	20.2×
Bamlanivimab Etesevimab	217	9.8×
Tirosint	167	8.8×
Acetaminophen Oxycodone Hydrochloride	2,891	8.7×
Ethinyl Estradiol Norelgestromin	243	8.5×
Dextroamphet Saccharat Amphet Aspartate Dextroamphet Sulfate and Amp	98	7.9×
ParaGard T 380A	2,416	7.4×

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
Painpain, site not specified	13,987	10.4%
Drug dependencedependence on a medicine	13,880	10.3%
Emotional distressemotional distress	10,618	7.9%
Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected	7,364	5.5%
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label	6,649	4.9%
Drug withdrawal syndromesymptoms on stopping a medicine	6,410	4.8%
Overdosea dose above the recommended amount	6,066	4.5%
Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term	6,056	4.5%
Fatiguetiredness	4,882	3.6%
Nauseafeeling sick	4,067	3%
Product dose omission issuea dose was missed	3,963	2.9%
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools	3,823	2.8%
Dyspnoeashortness of breath	3,347	2.5%
Headachehead pain	3,091	2.3%
Covid-19COVID-19 infection	2,790	2.1%

Devices named most often

Brand	Reports	Share of device reports
Alaris Pump Module	57,488	25.2%
Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System	21,320	9.3%
8100 Alaris Pump Module	9,979	4.4%
t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Control-IQ Technology	8,799	3.9%
Alaris System	4,188	1.8%
8015 Alaris System Pc Unit	3,311	1.4%
640G Insulin Pump MMT-1712K	2,447	1.1%
Ellume Covid-19 Home Test	2,223	1%
Pump MMT-1780KPK 670G Pathway Black MG	1,797	0.8%
t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Basal-IQ Technology	1,661	0.7%

Questions about December 2021

How many adverse event reports did FDA receive in December 2021?

134,446 drug reports are in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, and 228,368 device reports in the MAUDE release of 28 Sep 2026. The same month a year earlier has 126,896 drug reports.

Which drugs were listed most often?

OxyContin (12,682), Zantac (6,939), Oxycodone hydrochloride (6,511), Revlimid (5,048) and Ranitidine (4,945).

Which reactions were recorded most often?

pain (13,987), drug dependence (13,880), emotional distress (10,618), drug ineffective (7,364) and off label use (6,649).

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.