Drug Rankings

Drugs ranked by cost, safety signals, recalls, and shortages. All data from FDA, FAERS, and NADAC sources.

Unit cost versus report volume

Ustekinumab is NADAC unit-cost #1 of 572 at $26,794.63/unit at FAERS #78 of 524 ≠ Adalimumab FAERS report-volume #1 of 524 at 695,825 at NADAC #8 of 572. Testosterone is a third map: recall-count #1 of 202 (28 actions).

#1
Ustekinumab NADAC
$26,794.63
per unit
#1
Adalimumab FAERS
695,825
reports (not danger)

According to CMS NADAC and FDA FAERS compiled on /methodology. Report volume follows exposure and reporting, not proven per-patient risk. This is a registry placement, not medical advice.

Catalogue Rx vs OTC flag

Exclusive cut of the 682-drug ranking universe by openFDA OTC flag. Orthogonal to NADAC vs FAERS duals.

Shortage-file status mix

Exclusive cut of 1,679 FDA shortage rows feeding the longest-shortages board. Status inventory, not a patient-access verdict.

What these six boards are

PlainMeds publishes 6 ranking views plus a YoY adverse-report change board over 682 tracked medications and 1,179 FDA Enforcement Report actions. Cost boards use CMS NADAC per-unit acquisition price. Volume boards use FDA FAERS report counts, death-associated counts, and hospitalization counts as separate maps. A leader on one board is not automatically the leader on another.

FAERS is passive surveillance: widely prescribed drugs accumulate reports faster. Recall counts are manufacturer-batch enforcement actions, not severity. Shortage duration mixes manufacturing-quality and ingredient-supply causes. Read each list as a signal-detection extract, not a per-patient risk score. See methodology for ranking logic and vintage.

Most Expensive Drugs

Drugs with the highest NADAC cost per unit, the priciest medications on the market.

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  1. 1 ustekinumab $26,794.63
  2. 2 risankizumab $20,211.78
  3. 3 guselkumab $13,350.90
  4. 4 secukinumab $7,206.70
  5. 5 golimumab $6,818.88

Most Adverse Event Reports

Drugs with the most FDA adverse event reports filed through FAERS.

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  1. 1 adalimumab 695,825
  2. 2 etanercept 591,578
  3. 3 aspirin 518,554
  4. 4 prednisone 482,856
  5. 5 acetaminophen 417,458

Most Recalled Drugs

Drugs with the highest number of FDA recall actions.

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  1. 1 testosterone 28
  2. 2 calcium carbonate 25
  3. 3 duloxetine 22
  4. 4 semaglutide 22
  5. 5 losartan 19

Most Death-Associated Reports

Drugs with the most FAERS reports where death was a reported outcome.

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  1. 1 furosemide 60,624
  2. 2 acetaminophen 58,910
  3. 3 oxycodone 51,490
  4. 4 prednisone 50,090
  5. 5 aspirin 47,820

Most Hospitalization Reports

Drugs with the most FAERS reports involving hospitalization.

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  1. 1 aspirin 203,341
  2. 2 furosemide 190,901
  3. 3 prednisone 166,315
  4. 4 acetaminophen 150,224
  5. 5 adalimumab 146,638

Longest Active Drug Shortages

Currently shorted drugs ranked by how long the shortage has persisted.

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  1. 1 atropine 15+ yrs
  2. 2 fentanyl 15+ yrs
  3. 3 epinephrine 15+ yrs
  4. 4 lidocaine topical 15+ yrs
  5. 5 hydromorphone 9+ yrs

Adverse-Report Change (YoY)

Drugs ranked by year-over-year change in FAERS report counts, the temporal movers board.

Open board →

Related Sections

Browse Drugs 682 medications A-Z All Recalls 1,179 enforcement actions Active Shortages FDA shortage tracker Original Research Editorial analysis

Rankings Methodology

Rankings pull from federal data sources: CMS NADAC pricing for cost leaderboards, FDA FAERS for adverse-event volume, death-associated reports, and hospitalizations, FDA Enforcement Reports for recall counts, and FDA Drug Shortages Database for shortage duration. Raw counts reflect exposure volume and reporting practices, they are signal-detection indicators, not per-patient risk measures. See full methodology for ranking logic, limitations, and data vintage.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - FAERS + recalls + NADAC openFDA aggregated drug data: FAERS, recalls, NADAC pricing, drug shortages · 2024 Rankings derived from FDA openFDA APIs across FAERS adverse events, drug recall enforcement reports, NADAC pricing, and drug shortages list.