MedWatch

MedWatch is the Food and Drug Administration’s reporting system for adverse events, founded in 1993. An adverse event is any undesirable experience associated with the use of a medical product. The MedWatch system collects reports of adverse reactions and quality problems, primarily with drugs and medical devices, but also for other FDA-regulated products (e.g., dietary supplements, cosmetics, medical foods, and infant formulas). Voluntary reporting by healthcare professionals, consumers, and patients is conducted on a single, one-page reporting form (Form FDA 3500). Reporting can be conducted online, by phone 1-800-FDA-1088, or by submitting the MedWatch 3500 form by mail or fax 1-800-FDA-0178.

The MedWatch system is intended to detect safety hazard signals for medical products. If a signal is detected, the FDA can issue medical product safety alerts or order product recalls, withdrawals, or labeling changes to protect the public health. Important safety information is disseminated to the medical community and the general public via the MedWatch web site and the MedWatch E-list.”

Raw data from the MedWatch system, together with adverse drug reaction reports from manufacturers as required by regulation, are part of a public database. Online tools that analyze the database are available for both health care consumers and professionals. The database was used by journalists to investigate FDA's drug approval practice.