Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Ractopamine

121 FDA reports name Ractopamine, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#706 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
121
adverse-event reports
42.1%
death-coded share
Pig
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Ractopamine ranks #704 of 2679 by total reports (121) and #80 of 1130 by death-coded share (42.1%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#704
This drug, reports of 2679
#80
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Ractopamine has 121 reports now versus 121 in that prior snapshot: 0 the same number of (0.0%).

Report change
+0
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.0 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Ractopamine changes

Signature read: Ractopamine's 42.1% death-coded share is among the highest in the openFDA drug corpus.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
121
Total Reports
51
Deaths Reported
42.1%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Ractopamine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopicalCutaneousOther

Species Affected

Pig 57
Cattle 22
Dog 17
Turkey 7
Horse 7
Unknown 6
Human 4
Goat 1

Most Affected Breeds

Pig (unknown) 40
Cattle (unknown) 11
Unknown 10
Pig (other) 9
Turkey (unknown) 7
Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 7
Retriever - Labrador 4
Horse (unknown) 3
Crossbred Porcine/Pig 3
Dog (unknown) 3

Most Reported Reactions

Death 40
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 13
Unclassifiable adverse event 10
Behavioural disorder NOS 9
Anorexia 8
Pneumonia 8
Accidental exposure 7
Tachycardia 7
Hyperactivity 7
Lameness 7
Aggression 6
Death by euthanasia 6

Outcome Breakdown

Died
46 (43.0%)
Outcome Unknown
33 (30.8%)
Recovered/Normal
12 (11.2%)
Euthanized
8 (7.5%)
Ongoing
8 (7.5%)

Ractopamine: high death-coded share in the FDA AER row

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Ractopamine, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (121 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (42.1% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Ractopamine (#706 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 42.1%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded share stamp 42.1% · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →