China's National Center for ADR (adverse drug reaction) Monitoring received 692,904 reports of adverse reaction cases in 2010, 8.4 percent more than that of 2009, according to a statement by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) on Monday.

Out of the total, 109,991 were reports of new or severe adverse reactions, making for an increase of 16.2 percent year-on-year, the statement said.

According to the statement, 84.7 percent of the more than 690,000 ADR cases were reported by medical institutions. About 12.7 percent and 2.5 percent were from pharmaceutical companies and individuals, respectively.

The statement indicated that China's major problems with drug safety mainly concern anti-infection drugs and traditional Chinese medicine treatments, which, the SFDA said, remain a major target for medical safety supervision in the future.

ADRs are unwanted or negative reactions caused by the use of some medications. China set up its ADR reporting system in 2001 to warn pharmaceutical factories, medical institutions and its citizens about the dangers of ADR.