Prednisone

"Deltra" redirects here. For the fishing trawler in service 1951-57, see FV Deltra.
Not to be confused with Prednisolone.

Prednisone
Clinical data
Trade namesDeltasone, Liquid Pred, Orasone, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa601102
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: A
Routes of
administration		By mouth
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability70%
Metabolismprednisolone (liver)
Elimination half-life3 to 4 hours in adults. 1 to 2 hours in children[2]
ExcretionKidney
Identifiers
  • 17,21-dihydroxypregna-1,4-diene-3,11,20-trione
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.000.147 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC21H26O5
Molar mass358.434 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • O=C(CO)[C@@]3(O)CC[C@H]2[C@@H]4CC\C1=C\C(=O)\C=C/[C@]1(C)[C@H]4C(=O)C[C@@]23C
  • InChI=1S/C21H26O5/c1-19-7-5-13(23)9-12(19)3-4-14-15-6-8-21(26,17(25)11-22)20(15,2)10-16(24)18(14)19/h5,7,9,14-15,18,22,26H,3-4,6,8,10-11H2,1-2H3/t14-,15-,18+,19-,20-,21-/m0/s1 checkY
  • Key:XOFYZVNMUHMLCC-ZPOLXVRWSA-N checkY
 ☒NcheckY (what is this?)  (verify)

Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases.[3] It is also used to treat high blood calcium due to cancer and adrenal insufficiency along with other steroids.[3] It is taken by mouth.[3]

Common side effects may include cataracts, bone loss, easy bruising, muscle weakness, and thrush.[3] Other side effects include weight gain, swelling, high blood sugar, increased risk of infection, and psychosis.[4][3] It is generally considered safe in pregnancy and low doses appear to be safe while the user is breastfeeding.[5] After prolonged use, prednisone must be stopped gradually.[3]

Prednisone is a prodrug and must be converted to prednisolone by the liver before it becomes active.[6][7] Prednisolone then binds to glucocorticoid receptors, activating them and triggering changes in gene expression.[4]

Prednisone was patented in 1954 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1955.[3][8] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[9] It is available as a generic medication.[3] In 2022, it was the 30th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 18 million prescriptions.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Product monograph brand safety updates". Health Canada. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ Pickup ME (1979). "Clinical pharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone". Clinical Pharmacokinetics. 4 (2): 111–128. doi:10.2165/00003088-197904020-00004. PMID 378499. S2CID 12218704.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Prednisone Monograph for Professionals". Drugs.com. AHFS. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b Brunton L (2017). Goodman & Gilman's the pharmacological basis of therapeutics (13 ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 739, 746, 1237. ISBN 978-1-25-958473-2.
  5. ^ "Prednisone Use During Pregnancy". Drugs.com. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Product Information Panafcort (prednisone) Panafcortelone (prednisolone)" (PDF). TGA eBusiness Services. St Leonards, Australia: Aspen Pharmacare Australia Pty Ltd. 11 July 2017. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. ^ Buttgereit F, Gibofsky A (June 2013). "Delayed-release prednisone - a new approach to an old therapy". Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy. 14 (8): 1097–1106. doi:10.1517/14656566.2013.782001. PMID 23594208. S2CID 22720230.
  8. ^ Fischer J, Ganellin CR (2006). Analogue-based Drug Discovery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 485. ISBN 9783527607495.
  9. ^ World Health Organization (2023). The selection and use of essential medicines 2023: web annex A: World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 23rd list (2023). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/371090. WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2023.02.
  10. ^ "The Top 300 of 2022". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Prednisone Drug Usage Statistics, United States, 2013 - 2022". ClinCalc. Retrieved 30 August 2024.