Dapsone 50mg/5ml oral suspension
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
A sulfone active against a wide range of bacteria but mainly employed for its actions against mycobacterium leprae.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
The MHRA Yellow Card scheme collects reports of suspected side effects from healthcare professionals and patients. View the Drug Analysis Profile (iDAP) for real-world adverse reaction data.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Dapsone
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Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles for all medicines
Report a side effect
Submit a Yellow Card report to the MHRA
Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
EudraVigilance
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) collects suspected adverse reaction reports from across the EU/EEA through the EudraVigilance system. Search for safety data on this medicine.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Dapsone
About EudraVigilance
Learn about EU pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring
EudraVigilance data is published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A suspected adverse reaction is not necessarily caused by the medicine.
1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
50 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(6)
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Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check stock at pharmacies and supply information
Pharmacy stock checkers
Search for this medicine at major UK pharmacy chains. These links open the retailer's own website — results depend on their current online catalogue.
Supply & safety information
Official UK regulator monitoring and safety alerts
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. Shortage and safety information sourced from MHRA drug safety updates (gov.uk, Crown Copyright under OGL v3.0).
Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 23 · Randomised trials: 2 · 1971–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
J Schmitt, M Lorenz, G Wozel
Acta Dermato Venereologica, 2012
- Dapsone
- Drug Eruptions
- Leprostatic Agents
W. Tangamornsuksan, MANUPAT LOHITNAVY
JAMA Dermatology, 2018
Khan I, Qasim SA, Rath S, et al.
2025
- Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic
- Dapsone
Gottfried Wozel, C. Blasum
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2013
- Dermatology
- Anti-Infective Agents
- Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
Xuesong Wang, Zhenzhen Wang, Lulu Sun, et al.
Annals of palliative medicine, 2022
Keumwha Lee, Sung Hwi Hong, Jinhae Jun, et al.
Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics, 2019
Aswatha Rabindranathnambi, B. Jeevankumar
Dermatology and Therapy, 2022
H. Park, Jungwon Park, Sae-Hoon Kim,, et al.
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 2020
ABSTRACT Background The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*13:01 was reported as an important risk factor for dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) in Chinese and Thai populations. Research design and methods From the Korean nationwide registry, seven subjects with previous DHS were included. Their HLA allele/phenotype frequencies were compared with 8 dapsone-tolerant subjects recruited from a single institution, and general population (n = 485) in Korea. The authors also performed a meta-analysis with these data using previous Chinese and Thai studies. Results Among the seven DHS subjects, 85.7% presented with the HLA-B*13:01 allele. The HLA-C*03:04, HLA-DRB1*12:02 (both in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B*13:01), and HLA-A*02:01 alleles were also presented in 85.7%, 71.4%, and 71.4%, respectively. Subjects with HLA-B*13:01 were susceptible to developing DHS compared to dapsone-tolerant controls (odds ratio [OR]: 73.667) and the Korean general population (OR: 139.500). HLA-C*03:04 (OR: 40.935), HLA-DRB*12:02 (OR: 36.613), and HLA-A*02:01 (OR: 5.862) showed similar results. In meta-analysis, HLA-B*13:01 was associated with dapsone-induced hypersensitivity (overall OR: 42.692), and subgroup analyses according to the control types demonstrated similar results (OR:43.694 and 41.866, respectively). Conclusions Similar to previous Asian population studies, HLA-B*13:01 is significantly associated with the risk of DHS in Korea. These associations may be useful for preventing DHS and improving drug safety.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND
Victoria P. Werth, David Fivenson, Amit G. Pandya, et al.
Archives of Dermatology, 2008
- Anti-Infective Agents
- Dapsone
- Pemphigus
Ziwei Wu, Chen Wang, Zhenzhen Wang, et al.
Journal of global antimicrobial resistance, 2022
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
28 hours
Mechanism
Dapsone acts against bacteria and protozoa in the same way as sulphonamides, tha…
Food interactions
1 warning
Human targets
None mapped
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
70 to 80%
Half-life
28 hours
Protein binding
70 to 90%
Metabolism
Elimination
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 723 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
ATC J04BA50
ATC J04BA51
ATC D10AX05
ATC J04BA02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Dapsone
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
8120
ChemSpider
2849
BindingDB
50029764
ZINC
ZINC000000006310
GenBank Gene Database
U15180
GenBank Protein Database
699152
UniProt Accession
DHPS2_MYCLE
GenBank Gene Database
AB028658
GenBank Protein Database
5832717
UniProt Accession
DHPS1_MYCLE
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7218
GenAtlas
MPO
GeneCards
MPO
GenBank Gene Database
J02694
GenBank Protein Database
189040
Guide to Pharmacology
2789
UniProt Accession
PERM_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2620
GeneCards
CYP2C18
GenBank Gene Database
M61853
Guide to Pharmacology
1327
UniProt Accession
CP2CI_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2623
GenAtlas
CYP2C9
GeneCards
CYP2C9
GenBank Gene Database
AY341248
Guide to Pharmacology
1326
UniProt Accession
CP2C9_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2631
GeneCards
CYP2E1
GenBank Gene Database
J02625
GenBank Protein Database
181360
Guide to Pharmacology
1330
UniProt Accession
CP2E1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3771
GeneCards
FMO3
GenBank Gene Database
M83772
GenBank Protein Database
188631
UniProt Accession
FMO3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:9604
GenAtlas
PTGS1
GeneCards
PTGS1
GenBank Gene Database
M31822
GenBank Protein Database
387018
Guide to Pharmacology
1375
UniProt Accession
PGH1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:9605
GenAtlas
PTGS2
GeneCards
PTGS2
GenBank Gene Database
L15326
GenBank Protein Database
291988
Guide to Pharmacology
1376
UniProt Accession
PGH2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2622
GenAtlas
CYP2C8
GeneCards
CYP2C8
GenBank Gene Database
M17397
Guide to Pharmacology
1325
UniProt Accession
CP2C8_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2621
GeneCards
CYP2C19
GenBank Gene Database
M61854
GenBank Protein Database
181344
Guide to Pharmacology
1328
UniProt Accession
CP2CJ_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7646
GeneCards
NAT2
GenBank Gene Database
D90040
GenBank Protein Database
219412
UniProt Accession
ARY2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2638
GenAtlas
CYP3A5
GeneCards
CYP3A5
GenBank Gene Database
J04813
GenBank Protein Database
181346
Guide to Pharmacology
1338
UniProt Accession
CP3A5_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2640
GeneCards
CYP3A7
GenBank Gene Database
D00408
GenBank Protein Database
220149
UniProt Accession
CP3A7_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q422226), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.