This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.
WARNING Ketorolac tromethamine tablets, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), are indicated for the short-term (up to 5 days in adults), management of moderately severe acute pain that requires analgesia at the opioid level and only as continuation treatment following IV or IM dosing of ketorolac tromethamine, if necessary. The total combined duration of use of ketorolac tromethamine tablets and ketorolac tromethamine should not exceed 5 days. Ketorolac tromethamine tablets are not indicated for use in pediatric patients and they are NOT indicated for minor or chronic painful conditions. Increasing the dose of ketorolac tromethamine tablets beyond a daily maximum of 40 mg in adults will not provide better efficacy but will increase the risk of developing serious adverse events. GASTROINTESTINAL RISK Ketorolac tromethamine, including ketorolac tromethamine tablets can cause peptic ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding and/or perforation of the stomach or intestines, which can be fatal. These events can occur at any time during use and without warning symptoms. Therefore, ketorolac tromethamine is CONTRAINDICATED in patients with active peptic ulcer disease, in patients with rec...
INDICATIONS AND USAGE Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP and other treatment options before deciding to use Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals. Acute Pain in Adult Patients Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP are indicated for the short-term (≤ 5 days) management of moderately severe acute pain that requires analgesia at the opioid level, usually in a postoperative setting. Therapy should always be initiated with IV or IM dosing of ketorolac tromethamine and Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP are to be used only as continuation treatment, if necessary. The total combined duration of use of Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP and ketorolac tromethamine is not to exceed 5 days of use because of the potential of increasing the frequency and severity of adverse reactions associated with the recommended doses (see WARNINGS , PRECAUTIONS , DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION , and ADVERSE REACTIONS ). Patients should be switched to alternative analgesics as soon as possible, but Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablet USP therapy is not to exceed 5 ...
CONTRAINDICATIONS (See also Boxed WARNING.) Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated in patients with previously demonstrated hypersensitivity to ketorolac tromethamine. Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated in patients with active peptic ulcer disease, in patients with recent gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation and in patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease or gastrointestinal bleeding. Ketorolac tromethamine should not be given to patients who have experienced asthma, urticaria, or allergic-type reactions after taking aspirin or other NSAIDs. Severe, rarely fatal, anaphylactic-like reactions to NSAIDs have been reported in such patients (see WARNINGS , Anaphylactoid Reactions and PRECAUTIONS , Preexisting Asthma ). Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated as prophylactic analgesic before any major surgery. Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (see WARNINGS ). Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated in patients with advanced renal impairment or in patients at risk for renal failure due to volume depletion (see WARNINGS for correction of volume depletion). Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicat...
WARNINGS (See also Boxed WARNING .) The total combined duration of use of ketorolac tromethamine tablets and IV or IM dosing of ketorolac tromethamine is not to exceed 5 days in adults. Ketorolac tromethamine tablets are not indicated for use in pediatric patients. The most serious risks associated with ketorolac tromethamine are: Gastrointestinal Effects – Risk of Ulceration, Bleeding, and Perforation Ketorolac tromethamine is contraindicated in patients with previously documented peptic ulcers and/or GI bleeding. Ketorolac tromethamine can cause serious gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events including bleeding, ulceration and perforation, of the stomach, small intestine, or large intestine, which can be fatal. These serious adverse events can occur at any time, with or without warning symptoms, in patients treated with ketorolac tromethamine. Only one in five patients who develop a serious upper GI adverse event on NSAID therapy is symptomatic. Minor upper gastrointestinal problems, such as dyspepsia, are common and may also occur at any time during NSAID therapy. The incidence and severity of gastrointestinal complications increases with increasing dose of, and duration of treatme...
ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reaction rates increase with higher doses of ketorolac tromethamine. Practitioners should be alert for the severe complications of treatment with ketorolac tromethamine, such as GI ulceration, bleeding and perforation, postoperative bleeding, acute renal failure, anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions and liver failure (see Boxed WARNING , WARNINGS , PRECAUTIONS , and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). These NSAID-related complications can be serious in certain patients for whom ketorolac tromethamine is indicated, especially when the drug is used inappropriately. In patients taking ketorolac tromethamine or other NSAIDs in clinical trials, the most frequently reported adverse experiences in approximately 1% to 10% of patients are: Gastrointestinal (GI) experiences including: abdominal pain * constipation/diarrhea dyspepsia * flatulence GI fullness GI ulcers (gastric/duodenal) gross bleeding/perforation heartburn nausea * stomatitis vomiting Other experiences: abnormal renal function anemia dizziness drowsiness edema elevated liver enzymes headaches * hypertension increased bleeding time injection site pain pruritus purpura rashes tinnitus sweating * Incidence...
Source: FDA SPL label for Ketorolac Tromethamine (NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), effective 20240814. Full label on DailyMed.
These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,663 | 2,470 | 1,554 | 1,350 | 1,255 | 1,210 | 1,366 | 584 |
1,856 reports blaming this drug for every million Medicare prescriptions filled, which is 0.7× the typical drug on this site. (3,125 reports in 2024–2026, against 1,683,907 Medicare fills in one year. This is the one number here that accounts for how many people take the drug.)
Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.
| Date | Class | Firm | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/2025 | Class II | Aspiro Pharma Limited | Presence of Particulate Matter: Particulate matter identified as glass |
| 09/2025 | Class II | Apotex Corp. | Lack of Assurance of Sterility; atypical weight loss due to improper bottle sealing leading to potential sterility concerns |
| 05/2025 | Class II | Apotex Corp. | Lack of Assurance of Sterility |
| 08/2022 | Class II | Nephron Sc Inc | cGMP Deviations: deviations leading to potential cross-contamination. |
| 12/2020 | Class I | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | Presence of Particulate Matter - found in reserve sample vials at the firm. |
| 12/2020 | Class II | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | Presence of Particulate Matter - found in reserve sample vials at the firm. |
| 04/2020 | Class I | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | Presence of Particulate Matter - found in reserve sample vials at the firm. |
| 04/2020 | Class II | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | Presence of Particulate Matter - found in reserve sample vials at the firm. |
| 12/2019 | Class II | Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. | Presence of Particulate Matter: particles identified as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) |
| 12/2019 | Class I | Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. | Presence of Particulate Matter: particles identified as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) |
| 04/2019 | Class II | Sagent Pharmaceuticals Inc | Lack of Sterility Assurance: Microbial growth detected during a routine simulation of the manufacturing process, which represents the potential introduction of microorganisms into the products. |
| 06/2015 | Class II | Hospira Inc. | Crystallization; identified as calcium salt of Ketorolac |
Class I = reasonable probability of serious harm. Class II = temporary or reversible harm. Class III = unlikely to harm. Most generic recalls are manufacturing or labeling defects for one lot, not a verdict on the molecule.
Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.
In 2024, drug companies reported $0 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 0 transactions.
No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.
Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.
Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.
| Product | Fills | $/fill |
|---|---|---|
| Ketorolac Tromethamine | 1,682,941 | $21 |
| Sprix | 735 | $2,662 |
| Acular | 157 | $281 |
| Acular Ls | 74 | $286 |
2 drugs in the same class grade a letter or more higher than ketorolac on this site. Worth asking whether one of them would do the same job for you.
Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.