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PlainMeds drug rankings

Drugs with Most Adverse Event Reports

All tracked drugs ranked by total FDA adverse event reports filed through FAERS.

Data updated 2026-05-15

524
Drugs ranked
695,825
Top: Adalimumab
133,513
#50: Citalopram

In the Drugs with Most Adverse Event Reports ranking, Adalimumab is #1 at 695,825 (Total Reports), out of 524 ranked drugs.

All tracked drugs ranked by total FDA adverse event reports filed through FAERS. Adalimumab leads at 695,825, then Etanercept at 591,578. Every value is compiled live from official FDA and CMS records; see the methodology for how each figure is sourced and what it does and does not mean.

Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →

What This Ranking Tells Us

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports of adverse drug reactions from healthcare professionals, patients, and manufacturers. A high number of reports does not necessarily mean a drug is dangerous, widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports. Common over-the-counter medications like aspirin and acetaminophen often appear near the top due to massive usage volumes. Report counts should be interpreted relative to the number of patients taking the drug.

Top 12 by Total Reports

All tracked drugs ranked by total FDA adverse event reports filed through FAERS.

Total Reports

What this shows adalimumab leads at 695,825, ahead of etanercept and aspirin.

Source FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

The bar to make this list: a drug needs 133,513 total reports to rank in the top 50 of 524.

# Drug Total Reports
1 adalimumab 695,825
2 etanercept 591,578
3 aspirin 518,554
4 prednisone 482,856
5 acetaminophen 417,458
6 dupilumab 411,692
7 methotrexate 410,053
8 furosemide 387,984
9 ergocalciferol 366,491
10 gabapentin 351,750
11 metformin 342,023
12 omeprazole 331,875
13 levothyroxine 304,465
14 lisinopril 297,692
15 dexamethasone 285,895
16 pregabalin 264,092
17 ibuprofen 262,453
18 amlodipine 257,862
19 metoprolol 246,252
20 simvastatin 245,754
21 folic acid 241,433
22 pantoprazole 240,800
23 atorvastatin 240,204
24 insulin glargine 236,147
25 infliximab 211,136
26 rivaroxaban 203,269
27 alprazolam 200,719
28 ranitidine 197,405
29 levonorgestrel 197,074
30 denosumab 196,342
31 rosuvastatin 194,743
32 clopidogrel 192,921
33 quetiapine 185,533
34 tofacitinib 181,998
35 oxycodone 180,422
36 adapalene 178,147
37 lorazepam 174,469
38 prednisolone 173,227
39 lansoprazole 173,086
40 losartan 165,585
41 secukinumab 157,236
42 clonazepam 155,147
43 evolocumab 155,068
44 allopurinol 150,998
45 apremilast 143,174
46 hydrochlorothiazide 140,497
47 escitalopram 134,536
48 insulin lispro 134,198
49 spironolactone 133,996
50 citalopram 133,513

Primary source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Supplementary labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL). These rankings are for informational purposes only and should not be used to make medical decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a FAERS report mean?

A FAERS report documents a suspected adverse event associated with a drug. Reports come from healthcare providers, patients, lawyers, and drug manufacturers. A report does not prove the drug caused the event, it only documents a temporal association. FDA uses patterns across many reports to identify safety signals.

Why do common drugs have the most reports?

Drugs prescribed to millions of patients naturally accumulate more reports even if their individual risk is low. Aspirin, acetaminophen, and other widely used medications appear near the top because of sheer volume. A per-patient reporting rate would be more meaningful but is difficult to calculate from FAERS data alone.

How should I interpret these rankings?

Do not use report counts alone to judge drug safety. A drug with 500,000 reports prescribed to 50 million people may be far safer per-patient than a drug with 5,000 reports prescribed to 10,000 people. Consult your healthcare provider for personalized risk assessment.

Reading the Drugs with Most Adverse Event Reports

This table ranks 50 drugs by total reports, sourced from FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The current leader is adalimumab at 695,825, followed by etanercept and aspirin. Each row links to a full drug profile so readers can move from headline number to the underlying FDA data, labeling, FAERS reports, recalls, pricing, and shortage status, that explains why a particular drug sits where it does.

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports of adverse drug reactions from healthcare professionals, patients, and manufacturers. A high number of reports does not necessarily mean a drug is dangerous, widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports. Common over-the-counter medications like aspirin and acetaminophen often appear near the top due to massive usage volumes. Report counts should be interpreted relative to the number of patients taking the drug.

Rankings are diagnostic, not prescriptive. Absolute numbers are shaped by exposure volume, reporting practices, and data-collection methodology, so a drug near the top is not automatically "worse" than a drug near the bottom, it may simply be older, more widely prescribed, or manufactured by firms with more visible reporting. Context from FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) updates continuously, which means the relative order here can change from one refresh to the next. Rankings on this page are for educational research only and must not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed clinician.

Explore More Rankings

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Compare adalimumab vs etanercept side-by-side →

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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

See our methodology for how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.