Inability to afford medication adverse event reports that record this term

Kind of term: MedDRA preferred term

What a report is

A report is not proof that the drug was the cause of the event.

FDA says:

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.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview, section "Responsible use of the data". The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026. The data have the reports that FDA received through 30 Jun 2026.

FDA also says:

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 has not been scientifically or otherwise verified as to a cause and effect relationship and cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

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.
Source: openFDA, Response of the drug event API (meta.disclaimer). The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

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

Reports on file

From December 2008 to June 2026, FDA received 9,704 adverse event reports that record the MedDRA preferred term Inability to afford medication. The person who codes a report selects the term that agrees best with the description of the reporter.

FDA received 1,021 reports in the 12 months to June 2026 and 1,478 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

By reports in the 12 months to June 2026, this term was number 601 of 1,436 reaction terms with a page. Of the 1,332,454 drug reports that FDA received in the 12 months to June 2026, 1,021 (0.1%) record this term. Reports for patients aged 45 to 64 were 14.4% of the reports that record this term and 20% of all drug reports.

The number of people who use the product is not in the data. A count is not a rate.

MedDRA

The Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities. The person who codes a report selects the preferred term that agrees best with the description of the reporter. FDA does not publish the description.

Data version

openFDA FAERS release of 29 Oct 2026. Reports received through 30 Jun 2026.

Drugs in these reports

The table has the 144 drug pages with 10 or more reports that record this term. The rows are in order of name. A drug page with fewer reports for this term is not in the table. The counts are the counts that the site keeps for each reaction term, and a count can be lower than the count of FDA.

FDA says:

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.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.
Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of 11 Mar 2026. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

Drugs that the reports with the term Inability to afford medication name as a suspect product, in order of name
Drug	Class	Reports with this term
Abilify	Atypical antipsychotic	169
Abilify Maintena		83
Adderall	Central nervous system stimulant	271
Advair Diskus	Corticosteroid	220
Advair Hfa	Corticosteroid	93
Ajovy		33
Albuterol sulfate	beta2-Adrenergic agonist	30
Ambrisentan	Endothelin receptor antagonist	25
Anoro Ellipta	Anticholinergic	46
Apriso	Aminosalicylate	45
Arikayce	Aminoglycoside antibacterial	10
Aripiprazole	Atypical antipsychotic	91
Austedo		22
Auvelity	Aminoketone	13
Belbuca	Partial opioid agonist	26
Belsomra	Orexin receptor antagonist	29
Benlysta	B lymphocyte stimulator-specific inhibitor	48
Bimekizumab		14
Bimzelx		26
Breo Ellipta	Corticosteroid	130
Brexpiprazole	Atypical antipsychotic	17
Breztri	Corticosteroid	31
Brilinta	P2Y12 platelet inhibitor	39
Brinsupri		10
Brivaracetam		65
Briviact		53
Budesonide Formoterol Glycopyrronium		18
Bupropion hydrochloride	Aminoketone	19
Bydureon		31
Bydureon Bcise		56
Cequa	Calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant	12
Certolizumab pegol	Tumor necrosis factor blocker	89
Cimzia	Tumor necrosis factor blocker	171
Copaxone		22
Covid-19 Vaccine		12
Crestor	HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor	20
Cuvitru	Human immunoglobulin G	23
Dapagliflozin	Sodium-Glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor	42
Dextroamphet Saccharat Amphet Aspartate Dextroamphet Sulfate and Amp		28
Dextroamphetamine Saccharate Amphetamine Aspartate Dextroamphetamine		30
Dovato	Hepatitis B virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor	17
Duexis		20
Dulera	Corticosteroid	10
Eliquis	Factor Xa inhibitor	619
Enbrel	Tumor necrosis factor blocker	54
Farxiga	Sodium-Glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor	70
Fasenra	Interleukin-5 receptor alpha-directed cytolytic antibody	22
Firazyr	Bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist	18
Flovent	Corticosteroid	34
Flovent Diskus		20
GAMMAGARD Liquid	Human immunoglobulin G	53
Gemtesa	beta3-Adrenergic agonist	264
Hizentra	Human immunoglobulin G	19
Human immunoglobulin g	Human immunoglobulin G	114
Human Immunoglobulin G Hyaluronidase Recombinant Human		30
Human Normal Immunoglobulin Liquid		10
Humira		10
Hyqvia		14
Ibsrela		35
Imitrex	Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist	10
Incruse Ellipta	Anticholinergic	16
Inflectra	Tumor necrosis factor blocker	18
Insulin glargine	Insulin analog	70
Intuniv	Central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist	12
Janumet	Biguanide	72
Januvia	Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor	233
Keppra		64
Keytruda	Programmed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody	50
Lacosamide		42
Lactulose	Osmotic laxative	46
Lamictal	Anti-epileptic agent	32
Lamotrigine	Anti-epileptic agent	32
Lanadelumab		15
Lenalidomide	Thalidomide analog	43
Levetiracetam		25
Lialda	Aminosalicylate	80
Lidocaine patch	Amide local anesthetic	27
Lidoderm	Amide local anesthetic	10
Linzess	Guanylate Cyclase-C agonist	18
Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate	Central nervous system stimulant	386
Lisinopril	Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor	14
Maribavir		16
Mesalamine	Aminosalicylate	43
Metformin	Biguanide	49
Miebo		31
Mirabegron	beta3-Adrenergic agonist	12
Motegrity		130
Mydayis	Central nervous system stimulant	41
Myrbetriq	beta3-Adrenergic agonist	118
Naltrexone hydrochloride and bupropion hydrochloride	Aminoketone	91
Natpara		12
Neupro	Nonergot dopamine agonist	24
Nexium	Proton pump inhibitor	30
Nucala	Interleukin-5 antagonist	38
Nucynta	Opioid agonist	23
Nuedexta	Antiarrhythmic	100
Ocaliva		12
Omeprazole	Proton pump inhibitor	16
Opsumit	Endothelin receptor antagonist	10
Orencia	Selective T cell costimulation modulator	72
Osphena	Estrogen Agonist/Antagonist	25
Ozempic	GLP-1 receptor agonist	20
Pennsaid		22
Pentasa	Aminosalicylate	35
Plecanatide	Guanylate Cyclase-C agonist	21
Pomalyst	Thalidomide analog	25
Prucalopride		11
Ranolazine		19
Relistor	Opioid antagonist	13
Restasis	Calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant	20
Revlimid	Thalidomide analog	62
Rexulti	Atypical antipsychotic	340
Rotigotine	Nonergot dopamine agonist	18
Rytary	Aromatic amino acid	24
Samsca	Vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist	42
Seroquel	Atypical antipsychotic	12
Sitagliptin phosphate	Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor	10
Sprycel	Kinase inhibitor	18
Steglatro		20
Symbicort	Corticosteroid	157
Tagrisso	Kinase inhibitor	13
Tanzeum		37
Teduglutide	GLP-2 analog	67
Tiotropium bromide	Anticholinergic	14
Tolvaptan	Vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist	22
Toujeo	Insulin analog	10
Trelegy Ellipta	Anticholinergic	118
Triumeq	Hepatitis B virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor	20
Truxima	CD20-directed cytolytic antibody	51
Tyvaso	Prostacycline vasodilator	15
Uceris	Corticosteroid	28
Vedolizumab	Integrin receptor antagonist	13
Veltassa		11
Ventolin Hfa	beta2-Adrenergic agonist	58
Vesicare		19
Vimpat		64
Vyvanse	Central nervous system stimulant	956
Vyzulta		12
Wellbutrin	Aminoketone	64
Xifaxan	Rifamycin antibacterial	692
Xiidra		58
Xtampza	Opioid agonist	23
Xtandi	Androgen receptor inhibitor	11
Zenpep		32

The page of each drug has the count of each reaction term in its reaction lookup.

Drug classes in these reports

The table has the 46 pharmacologic classes with 25 or more reports that record this term. The rows are in order of name.

FDA says:

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.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.
Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of 11 Mar 2026. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

Pharmacologic classes of the drugs that the reports with the term Inability to afford medication name, in order of name
Class	Reports with this term
Amide local anesthetic	40
Aminoketone	195
Aminosalicylate	203
Anti-epileptic agent	72
Antiarrhythmic	103
Anticholinergic	199
Atypical antipsychotic	649
B lymphocyte stimulator-specific inhibitor	48
beta2-Adrenergic agonist	92
beta3-Adrenergic agonist	394
Biguanide	132
Bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist	25
Calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant	34
CD20-directed cytolytic antibody	51
Central nervous system stimulant	1,672
Corticosteroid	739
Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor	243
Endothelin receptor antagonist	42
Estrogen Agonist/Antagonist	25
Factor Xa inhibitor	621
GLP-1 receptor agonist	53
GLP-2 analog	76
Guanylate Cyclase-C agonist	39
Hepatitis B virus nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor	46
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor	27
Human immunoglobulin G	214
Insulin analog	111
Interleukin-5 antagonist	41
Interleukin-5 receptor alpha-directed cytolytic antibody	25
Kinase inhibitor	49
Nonergot dopamine agonist	42
Opioid agonist	50
Opioid antagonist	28
Orexin receptor antagonist	29
Osmotic laxative	46
P2Y12 platelet inhibitor	46
Partial opioid agonist	30
Programmed death Receptor-1 blocking antibody	59
Prostacycline vasodilator	31
Proton pump inhibitor	55
Rifamycin antibacterial	698
Selective T cell costimulation modulator	74
Sodium-Glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor	117
Thalidomide analog	130
Tumor necrosis factor blocker	343
Vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist	64

A class with many reports in all has many reports for almost every term.

Reports by month

Reports that record Inability to afford medication, by month, five years to June 2026

FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

Patients in these reports

Age of the patient in the reports that record Inability to afford medication
Age	Reports	Share
Under 2	3	under 0.1%
2 to 11	88	0.9%
12 to 17	86	0.9%
18 to 44	733	7.6%
45 to 64	1,401	14.4%
65 to 74	1,220	12.6%
75 and over	859	8.9%
Age not given	5,314	54.8%

Sex of the patient in the reports that record Inability to afford medication
Sex	Reports	Share
Female	5,276	54.4%
Male	2,984	30.8%
Unknown or not given	1,444	14.9%

Age and sex are as the report gives them. 94% of these reports give the United States as the country.

Terms near this one

These are the next terms in the A to Z list. The links are for navigation.

Official pages

MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting FormThe online form of FDA for a voluntary report.
MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting ProgramThe page of the FDA program that receives reports about drugs and devices.
FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public DashboardThe public dashboard of FDA for adverse event reports on drugs and biologics.

The site checked these addresses on 2 Oct 2026. The links open in a new tab.

Cite this page

Reported Reactions. Inability to afford medication: adverse event reports that record this term. https://reportedreactions.com/reaction/inability-to-afford-medication/ Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) files, release of 29 Oct 2026. Reports received through 30 Jun 2026.

Where the data come from

The counts come from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk files, release of 29 Oct 2026. The files have the reports that FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. A drug name is the name on the report. The site matches it to a brand name or a generic name of the National Drug Code Directory of 2 Nov 2026. A class is the pharmacologic class (EPC) of the FDA label.

The count has the reports with each spelling of one MedDRA preferred term. The site does not publish a report narrative, a lot number, a detail of a patient or the identity of a reporter. The record of FDA is the authority. See how the site counts reports, the data sources and the corrections page.

Questions

What does Inability to afford medication mean in an adverse event report?

It is a MedDRA preferred term. FDA codes the description of a reporter with the MedDRA dictionary. The openFDA files do not have the description itself, and this site does not show it.

Does a drug in the table mean that the drug was responsible for this reaction?

No. FDA says:

No individual drug is connected to any individual reaction.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

When a report lists multiple drugs and multiple reactions, there is no way to conclude from the data therein that a given drug is responsible for a given reaction.
Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

What does this page tell a person who has this symptom?

This page gives counts of reports. It cannot assess a person. A pharmacist or a clinician can assess a person.

If this is a medical emergency, please call 911.
Source: FDA, MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. The site read the page on 2 Oct 2026.

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