
Use one of the methods below to submit voluntary adverse event reports to the FDA:
- Report Online
- Consumer Reporting Form FDA 3500B. Follow the instructions on the form to either fax or mail it in for submission. For help filling out the form, see MedWatch Learn.
- Call FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone
- Reporting Form FDA 3500 commonly used by health professionals. View Instructions for Form FDA 3500
- Report Online.
- Consumer Reporting Form FDA 3500B. ...
- Call FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone.
- Reporting Form FDA 3500 commonly used by health professionals.
How to report side effects to the FDA?
- (1) Distribute the side effects statement on a sticker attached to the unit package, vial, or container of the drug product;
- (2) Distribute the side effects statement on a preprinted pharmacy prescription vial cap;
- (3) Distribute the side effects statement on a separate sheet of paper;
How to report a serious adverse event?
- Submit the hard copy of the AE report to the IRB. ...
- Non-UVa/ Batch AE Submission Form . ...
- A Summary of Adverse Events provided by the sponsor will be accepted and actually preferred by the IRB as long as there is a statement from the sponsor indicating that ...
How to report complaints and adverse events?
- An applicability statement for oral and written complaints.
- A mandatory review of all complaints by the quality function.
- A discussion on the complaint investigation process; all decisions made in regard to not performing an investigation need to be documented and supported by written rationale.
What are some examples of adverse events?
What is a Serious Adverse Event?
- Death. ...
- Life-threatening. ...
- Hospitalization (initial or prolonged) Report if admission to the hospital or prolongation of hospitalization was a result of the adverse event.
- Disability or Permanent Damage. ...
- Congenital Anomaly/Birth Defect. ...

How are adverse events reported?
Reports from consumers, health professionals, and manufacturers can be made by mail, telephone, or on-line. Adverse event reports are entered into the AERS database. Adverse events in AERS are coded to terms in the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities terminology (MedDRA).
How do I report something to the FDA?
Report a problem with FDA-regulated products Call 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332). Call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state or region.
Which form is used for mandatory adverse event reporting to FDA?
Form FDA 3500A MandatoryMandatory reports are made using Form FDA 3500A Mandatory Reporting Form. You can download the mandatory form as a . pdf document for printing. (At this time, FDA does not have a 3500A form that can be submitted electronically).
Who must report adverse events?
The Medical Device Reporting (MDR) regulation (21 CFR Part 803) contains mandatory requirements for manufacturers, importers, and device user facilities to report certain device-related adverse events and product problems to the FDA.
Can you report to the FDA anonymously?
The FDA encourages people submitting allegations to include supporting information and contact information in case additional information is needed for the FDA to understand the allegation and act on the report; however you can choose to submit a report anonymously.
Can you contact the FDA?
For general questions, or if you are unsure of who to contact, contact the Patient Affairs Staff at 301-796-8460 or [email protected].
What is a FDA form 1571?
What is a FDA Form 1571? The FDA Form 1571 or '1571' is the IND application cover page and it must accompany the initial IND submission and any amendments, IND safety reports, annual reports or general correspondence the sponsor submits to the FDA about the IND.
Who is subject to mandatory reporting requirements concerning adverse events?
The Medical Device Reporting (MDR) regulation (21 CFR Part 803) contains mandatory requirements for manufacturers, importers, and device user facilities to report certain device-related adverse events and product problems to the FDA.
What should an investigator do when an adverse event occurs?
Investigators are required to report promptly “to the sponsor any adverse effect that may reasonably be regarded as caused by, or probably caused by, the drug. If the adverse effect is alarming, the investigator shall report the adverse effect immediately” (21 CFR 312.64(b)).
When Should serious adverse events be reported?
Fatal or life-threatening serious unexpected suspected adverse reactions (SUSARs) reports: The sponsor (or sponsor-investigator) must notify the FDA of any SUSARs to the study drug as soon as possible but no later than 7 calendar days after the initial receipt of the information.
Why would you contact the FDA?
Consumers can play an important public health role by reporting to FDA any adverse reactions or other problems with products the agency regulates. FDA is responsible for ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled.
What is a complaint file establishment FDA?
Establishments that only handle complaints and previously registered as manufacturers or specification developers should change their establishment type to “Complaint File Establishment.”
What products does FDA regulate?
It also oversees medicines, medical devices (from bandages to artificial hearts), blood products, vaccines, cosmetics, animal food (including pet food) and animal drugs, and electronic products that emit radiation (such as microwave ovens and video monitors), ensuring that these products are safe and effective. FDA also regulates tobacco products.
What does the FDA regulate?
FDA also regulates tobacco products.
What is timely reporting?
Timely reporting by consumers, health professionals, and FDA-regulated companies allows the agency to take prompt action. The agency evaluates each report to determine how serious the problem is, and, if necessary, may request additional information from the person who filed the report before taking action. For Use By. Form.
Can problems with FDA products be discovered?
Some problems can remain unknown, only to be discovered when a product is used by a large number of people. When problems with FDA-regulated products occur, the agency wants to know about them and has several ways for the public to make reports.
When there are an extensive number of adverse events, should pharmaceutical manufacturers focus on?
When there are an extensive numbers of adverse events, pharmaceutical manufacturers should focus on pharmaceuticals and biologics that are most likely to have adverse events or those most likely to result in serious medical issues of they do not produce their pharmacological results. Pharmaceutical manufacturers should pay particularly close ...
Who is responsible for determining whether an approved treatment is safe?
In addition to approving pharmaceuticals and biologics, the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for determining whether an approved treatment is safe.
How long should pharmaceutical companies be aware of new drugs?
Pharmaceutical manufacturers should pay particularly close attention to pharmaceuticals approved within the last three years, new molecular entities, and drugs for which bioavailability or bioequivalence may pose an issue.
When should postmarketing surveillance be used?
The postmarketing surveillance mechanism should be used to report an adverse event that was obtained during planned contact with the patient and was actively solicited from the patient.
Can manufacturers submit periodic reports?
For domestic adverse events not occurring as a result of a study, adverse events not found in the literature, or adverse events that do not warrant a 15-day report, manufacturers can submit periodic reports.
Do pharmaceutical companies have to report adverse events?
They do not have to report the adverse events that are not serious or for which there is no association with the pharmaceutical. Although pharmaceutical companies should actively seek out these four criteria, they do not have to report the event if they cannot find one of the four.
What is an adverse event?
An adverse event occurs when a patient encounters any undesirable experience associated with the use of a drug or medical device. They range from unconcerning to life-threatening, and they can even include events like changing the color of a person's urine. If you learned about allergies to specific antibiotics as a child, ...
What is FDA safety?
According the the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all drug and device safety information is thoroughly vetted before a product gains approval. Unfortunately, even well-designed clinical studies can miss problems, meaning that some issues emerge only after a product has been released for public use. As such, it is important for all consumers to understand what constitutes an adverse event, how they are monitored, and how everyone can help protect public health by reporting the negative effects of drugs and medical devices.
What Happens to Reports?
Once made, regulators at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) or the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) analyze all reports to determine which may legitimately be caused by the drug or device in question. Sometimes they find that the negative symptom occurred naturally or stemmed from some other cause. When the adverse effect seems to be caused by the medical device or drug, the FDA may follow-up with one of these options to protect public health and safety:
What are the factors that influence the symptoms of a medical product?
Especially when the general population uses medical products, a number of variables can influence the symptoms experienced after using them, such as lifestyle, diet, other medical conditions, and environmental factors. Some patients may face unintended side effects simply as a result of underlying conditions. ...
Do you have to report adverse events to a medical provider?
Patients have no legal requirement to report adverse events, but healthcare providers and medical manufacturers are subject to mandatory reporting requirements. Medical product reports are submitted through the MedWatch Voluntary Reporting Form, and clinical vaccine reports go through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
Is it important to notify the FDA of side effects?
If your symptom is on the label, it's still important to notify the FDA. Sometimes side effect frequency is underestimated in clinical trials. This kind of report can help both regulators and manufacturers update labeling information to more accurately represent side effect probability.
Can you report adverse events on Essure?
If women had known they could voluntarily report their negative experiences with the Essure implantable birth control device from the outset, it may have been pulled from the market much earlier and prevented countless injuries. Remember, adverse event reporting helps keep us all safe, and it's really easy to do.
How to contact VAERS?
If you need further assistance with reporting to VAERS, please email [email protected] call 1-800-822-7967.
What is considered serious medical event?
Important medical events that may not result in death, be life-threatening, or require hospitalization may be considered serious when, based upon appropriate medical judgment, they may jeopardize the patient and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the outcomes listed above.
Who sponsors VAERS?
VAERS is co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Who receives adverse events reports?
Reporting of adverse events by healthcare professionals and consumers is voluntary in the United States. FDA receives some adverse event reports directly from healthcare professionals (such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses and others) and consumers (such as patients, family members, lawyers and others). Healthcare professionals and consumers may also report adverse events to the products’ manufacturers. If a manufacturer receives an adverse event report, it is normally required to send the report to FDA.
How are adverse events collected?
Adverse events are collected through a series of safety reports. Each is identified by a 8-digit string (for instance, 6176304-1 ). The first 7 digits (before the hyphen) identify the individual report, and the last digit (after the hyphen) is a checksum. Rather than updating individual records in FAERS, subsequent updates are submitted in seperate reports.
What is openFDA API?
The openFDA drug adverse event API returns data that has been collected from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), a database that contains information on adverse event and medication error reports submitted to FDA.
Why are common products more likely to have adverse events?
Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. In recent years the FDA has undertaken efforts to increase collection of adverse events. Increases in the total number of adverse events is likely caused by improved reporting.
What is the first 7 digits of a report?
The first 7 digits (before the hyphen) identify the individual report, and the last digit (after the hyphen) is a checksum. Rather than updating individual records in FAERS, subsequent updates are submitted in seperate reports.
What are the details of a drug report?
Reports contain varying levels of detail about the drug products involved, indications for use, route of administration, and dose.
Can adverse event reports be validated?
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.
Who receives adverse events reports?
Reporting of adverse events by healthcare professionals and consumers is voluntary in the United States. FDA receives some adverse event reports directly from healthcare professionals (such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses and others) and consumers (such as patients, family members, lawyers and others). Healthcare professionals and consumers may also report adverse events to the products’ manufacturers. If a manufacturer receives an adverse event report, it is normally required to send the report to FDA.
What is an adverse event?
An adverse event is submitted to the FDA to report adverse health effects and product complaints about foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. These may include side effects, product use errors, and product quality problems. Reporting is voluntary for beverages, conventional foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics, which means that manufacturers and citizens may report them at any time but are not obligated to. For dietary supplements, manufacturers, packers, and distributers must notify the FDA if they receive reports about serious adverse events in connection with the use of their products.
What is CAERS in FDA?
The openFDA food, dietary supplements, and cosmetic adverse event API returns data from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS), a database that contains information on adverse event and product complaint reports submitted to FDA for foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. The database is designed to support CFSAN's safety surveillance program.
What is the FDA responsible for?
FDA's responsibility covers all domestic and imported food except meat, poultry, and frozen, dried, and liquid eggs, and the labeling of alcoholic beverages (above 7% alcohol). It even includes dietary supplements, bottled water, food additives, infant formulas, and other food products. The FDA also regulates all cosmetic products and ingredients in the United States, including hair products, makeup, soaps, and lotions
What does the FDA regulate?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates food products in the United States, working to assure that the food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled. FDA's responsibility covers all domestic and imported food except meat, poultry, and frozen, dried, and liquid eggs, and the labeling of alcoholic beverages (above 7% alcohol). It even includes dietary supplements, bottled water, food additives, infant formulas, and other food products. The FDA also regulates all cosmetic products and ingredients in the United States, including hair products, makeup, soaps, and lotions
Can adverse event reports be validated?
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.
Can a report list multiple products?
A report may list several products, as well as several reactions that the consumer experienced. No individual food, dietary supplements, or cosmetic product is connected to any individual reaction. When a report lists multiple products and multiple reactions, there is no way to conclude from the data therein that a given product is responsible for a given reaction.
General Instructions
In general, reporters are expected to provide at least one code for each adverse event code field that is relevant to their MDR. Note that this applies only to mandatory MDR reporting, which uses the 3500A form.
Submission Methods
The process of selecting and entering the adverse event codes in an MDR depend upon the submission method used by the reporter. Although two reporters may be the same type of entity (for example, both manufacturers), the process of reporting differs depending on the submission method.
How to protect yourself from Delta variant?
To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, get vaccinated as soon as you can and wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
How many cases of myocarditis in 2021?
As of July 12, 2021, VAERS has received 1,047 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis among people ages 30 and younger who received a COVID-19 vaccine. Most cases have been reported after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), particularly in male adolescents and young adults. Through follow-up, including medical record reviews, CDC ...
Can anaphylaxis occur after a shot?
Severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, can occur after any vaccination. If this occurs, vaccination providers can effectively and immediately treat the reaction. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

How to Handle Reporting of Adverse Events
Mechanisms to Report Adverse Events
- The postmarketing surveillance mechanism should be used to report an adverse event that was obtained during planned contact with the patient and was actively solicited from the patient. These reports should be submitted by prescription drug manufacturers and manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs with approved indications. When there are an extens...
Important Considerations When Reporting Adverse Events
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers should make certain that personnel fill out adverse event reports in a timely manner. When filling out the information on the forms, personnel should determine whether the information was available at the time of the event and whether all the information has been included in the form. They should make certain that the appropriate dates are included an…
Conclusion
- By understanding when and how to report adverse events. This leads to increased monitoring and safety for patients.