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.
Cardiovascular Risk • NSAIDs 1 may cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, myocardial infarction, and stroke, which can be fatal. This risk may increase with duration of use. Patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors for cardiovascular disease may be at greater risk (see WARNINGS ). • Nabumetone tablets are contraindicated for the treatment of peri-operative pain in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (see WARNINGS ). Gastrointestinal Risk • NSAIDs cause an increased risk of serious gastrointestinal adverse events including bleeding, ulceration, and perforation of the stomach or intestines, which can be fatal. These events can occur at any time during use and without warning symptoms. Elderly patients are at greater risk for serious gastrointestinal events (see WARNINGS ). 1 Throughout this package insert, the term NSAID refers to a non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of nabumetone tablets and other treatment options before deciding to use nabumetone tablets. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals (see WARNINGS ). Nabumetone tablets are indicated for relief of signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
CONTRAINDICATIONS Nabumetone tablets are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to nabumetone or product excipients. Nabumetone tablets 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, General, Preexisting Asthma ). Nabumetone tablets are contraindicated for the treatment of peri-operative pain in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (see WARNINGS ).
WARNINGS Cardiovascular Effects Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events Clinical trials of several COX-2 selective and nonselective NSAIDs of up to 3 years duration have shown an increased risk of serious cardiovascular (CV) thrombotic events, myocardial infarction, and stroke, which can be fatal. All NSAIDs, both COX-2 selective and nonselective, may have a similar risk. Patients with known CV disease or risk factors for CV disease may be at greater risk. To minimize the potential risk for an adverse CV event in patients treated with an NSAID, the lowest effective dose should be used for the shortest duration possible. Physicians and patients should remain alert for the development of such events, even in the absence of previous CV symptoms. Patients should be informed about the signs and/or symptoms of serious CV events and the steps to take if they occur. There is no consistent evidence that concurrent use of aspirin mitigates the increased risk of serious CV thrombotic events associated with NSAID use. The concurrent use of aspirin and an NSAID does increase the risk of serious GI events (see WARNINGS, Gastrointestinal Effects – Risk of Ulceration, Bleeding, and Perforation ). Two lar...
ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reaction information was derived from blinded-controlled and open-labeled clinical trials and from worldwide marketing experience. In the description below, rates of the more common events (greater than 1%) and many of the less common events (less than 1%) represent results of U.S. clinical studies. Of the 1,677 patients who received nabumetone during U.S. clinical trials, 1,524 were treated for at least 1 month, 1,327 for at least 3 months, 929 for at least a year, and 750 for at least 2 years. More than 300 patients have been treated for 5 years or longer. The most frequently reported adverse reactions were related to the gastrointestinal tract and included diarrhea, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain. Incidence ≥ 1% - Probably Causally Related Gastrointestinal Diarrhea (14%), dyspepsia (13%), abdominal pain (12%), constipation* 2 , flatulence* 2 , nausea* 2 , positive stool guaiac* 2 , dry mouth, gastritis, stomatitis, vomiting. Central Nervous System Dizziness* 2 , headache* 2 , fatigue, increased sweating, insomnia, nervousness, somnolence. Dermatologic Pruritus* 2 , rash* 2 . Special Senses Tinnitus* 2 . Miscellaneous Edema* 2 . 2 * Incidence of reported ...
Source: FDA SPL label for Nabumetone (Proficient Rx LP), effective 20200101. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 591 | 537 | 322 | 277 | 225 | 179 | 188 | 77 |
760 reports blaming this drug for every million Medicare prescriptions filled, which is 0.3× the typical drug on this site. (444 reports in 2024–2026, against 584,375 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nabumetone | 583,765 | $17 |
| Relafen Ds | 610 | $3,519 |
No same-class alternatives found in RxClass.