Fluorouracil 1000mg/40ml solution for injection pre-filled syringes
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
A pyrimidine analog that is an antineoplastic antimetabolite.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
Report a side effect
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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.
View Drug Analysis Profile
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Fluorouracil
Browse all iDAP reports
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.
View EudraVigilance report
Suspected adverse reactions reported for Fluorouracil
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
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Fluorouracil
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(12)
Aflibercept in combination with irinotecan and fluorouracil-based therapy for treating metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed following prior oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (TA307)
Capecitabine for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (TA191)
Trastuzumab for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer (TA208)
Fluorouracil chemotherapy: The My5‑FU assay for guiding dose adjustment (HTG360)
Pegylated liposomal irinotecan in combination for untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer (terminated appraisal) (TA1052)
Colorectal cancer (NG151)
Oesophago-gastric cancer: assessment and management in adults (NG83)
Capecitabine and oxaliplatin in the adjuvant treatment of stage 3 (Dukes' C) colon cancer (TA100)
Cetuximab, bevacizumab and panitumumab for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer after first-line chemotherapy (TA242)
Ivosidenib for treating advanced cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 R132 mutation after 1 or more systemic treatments (TA948)
Pembrolizumab with platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for untreated advanced oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (TA737)
Regorafenib for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (TA866)
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 & product information
Official product databases and supply status monitoring
Pharmacy links redirect to the retailer's own search and do not represent real-time stock levels. emc (electronic medicines compendium) is operated by Datapharm Ltd. Shortage information sourced from NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS), sps.nhs.uk.
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 codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). 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.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
10-20 minutes
Mechanism
The precise mechanism of action has not been fully determined, but the main mech…
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
5 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
28-100%
Half-life
10-20 minutes
Protein binding
8-12%
Metabolism
Elimination
20%
The…
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1355 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
The remaining percentage of the administered dose is metabolized, primarily in the liver.
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
Catalytic component of the teleromerase holoenzyme complex whose main activity is the elongation of telomeres by acting as a reverse transcriptase that adds simple sequence repeats to chromosome ends by copying a template sequence within the RNA component of the enzyme. Catalyzes the RNA-dependent extension of 3'-chromosomal termini with the 6-nucleotide telomeric repeat unit, 5'-TTAGGG-3'. The catalytic cycle involves primer binding, primer extension and release of product once the template boundary has been reached or nascent product translocation followed by further extension.
More active on substrates containing 2 or 3 telomeric repeats. Telomerase activity is regulated by a number of factors including telomerase complex-associated proteins, chaperones and polypeptide modifiers. Modulates Wnt signaling.
Plays important roles in aging and antiapoptosis
PMID:1512248
Catalyzes the reduction of uracil and thymine .
PMID:1512248
Also involved the degradation of the chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil PMID:1512248
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:11327718 PMID:18216183 PMID:21446918 PMID:28945155
Contributes to the renal and hepatic elimination of endogenous organic compounds from the systemic circulation into the urine and bile, respectively .
PMID:11327718 PMID:25904762
Capable of transporting a wide range of purine and pyrimidine nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides, with cGMP, 2'deoxyguanosine and GMP being the preferred substrates .
PMID:11327718 PMID:18216183 PMID:26377792 PMID:28945155
Functions as a pH- and chloride-independent cGMP bidirectional facilitative transporter that can regulate both intracellular and extracellular levels of cGMP and may be involved in cGMP signaling pathways .
PMID:18216183 PMID:26377792
Mediates orotate/glutamate bidirectional exchange and most likely display a physiological role in hepatic release of glutamate into the blood .
PMID:21446918
Involved in renal secretion and possible reabsorption of creatinine .
PMID:25904762 PMID:28945155
Able to uptake prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and may contribute to PGE2 renal excretion (Probable). Also transports alpha-ketoglutarate and urate .
PMID:11327718 PMID:26377792
Apart from the orotate/glutamate exchange, the counterions for the uptake of other SLC22A7/OAT2 substrates remain to be identified PMID:26377792
PMID:10722669 PMID:10755314 PMID:12527552 PMID:14759222 PMID:15037197 PMID:17379602 PMID:21795683 PMID:26406980 PMID:27995448 PMID:35790189 PMID:8986748
Functions as a Na(+)-independent transporter .
PMID:8986748
Involved in the transport of nucleosides such as adenosine, guanosine, inosine, uridine, thymidine and cytidine .
PMID:10722669 PMID:10755314 PMID:12527552 PMID:14759222 PMID:15037197 PMID:17379602 PMID:26406980 PMID:8986748
Also transports purine nucleobases (hypoxanthine, adenine, guanine) and pyrimidine nucleobases (thymine, uracil) .
PMID:21795683 PMID:27995448
Mediates basolateral nucleoside uptake into Sertoli cells, thereby regulating the transport of nucleosides in testis across the blood-testis barrier (By similarity). Regulates inosine levels in brown adipocytes tissues (BAT) and extracellular inosine levels, which controls BAT-dependent energy expenditure PMID:35790189
PMID:11306452 PMID:12958161 PMID:19506252 PMID:20705604 PMID:28554189 PMID:30405239 PMID:31003562
Involved in porphyrin homeostasis, mediating the export of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) from both mitochondria to cytosol and cytosol to extracellular space, it also functions in the cellular export of heme .
PMID:20705604 PMID:23189181
Also mediates the efflux of sphingosine-1-P from cells .
PMID:20110355
Acts as a urate exporter functioning in both renal and extrarenal urate excretion .
PMID:19506252 PMID:20368174 PMID:22132962 PMID:31003562 PMID:36749388
In kidney, it also functions as a physiological exporter of the uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate (By similarity). Also involved in the excretion of steroids like estrone 3-sulfate/E1S, 3beta-sulfooxy-androst-5-en-17-one/DHEAS, and other sulfate conjugates .
PMID:12682043 PMID:28554189 PMID:30405239
Mediates the secretion of the riboflavin and biotin vitamins into milk (By similarity). Extrudes pheophorbide a, a phototoxic porphyrin catabolite of chlorophyll, reducing its bioavailability (By similarity).
Plays an important role in the exclusion of xenobiotics from the brain (Probable). It confers to cells a resistance to multiple drugs and other xenobiotics including mitoxantrone, pheophorbide, camptothecin, methotrexate, azidothymidine, and the anthracyclines daunorubicin and doxorubicin, through the control of their efflux .
PMID:11306452 PMID:12477054 PMID:15670731 PMID:18056989 PMID:31254042
In placenta, it limits the penetration of drugs from the maternal plasma into the fetus (By similarity). May play a role in early stem cell self-renewal by blocking differentiation (By similarity).
In inflammatory macrophages, exports itaconate from the cytosol to the extracellular compartment and limits the activation of TFEB-dependent lysosome biogenesis involved in antibacterial innate immune response
PMID:10359813 PMID:11581266 PMID:15083066
Transports glucuronide conjugates such as bilirubin diglucuronide, estradiol-17-beta-o-glucuronide and GSH conjugates such as leukotriene C4 (LTC4) .
PMID:11581266 PMID:15083066
Transports also various bile salts (taurocholate, glycocholate, taurochenodeoxycholate-3-sulfate, taurolithocholate- 3-sulfate) (By similarity). Does not contribute substantially to bile salt physiology but provides an alternative route for the export of bile acids and glucuronides from cholestatic hepatocytes (By similarity). May contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testes across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable).
Can confer resistance to various anticancer drugs, methotrexate, tenoposide and etoposide, by decreasing accumulation of these drugs in cells PMID:10359813 PMID:11581266
PMID:11856762 PMID:12523936 PMID:12835412 PMID:12883481 PMID:15364914 PMID:15454390 PMID:16282361 PMID:17959747 PMID:18300232 PMID:26721430
Mediates the ATP-dependent efflux of glutathione conjugates such as leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) too. The presence of GSH is necessary for the ATP-dependent transport of LTB4, whereas GSH is not required for the transport of LTC4 .
PMID:17959747
Mediates the cotransport of bile acids with reduced glutathione (GSH) .
PMID:12523936 PMID:12883481 PMID:16282361
Transports a wide range of drugs and their metabolites, including anticancer, antiviral and antibiotics molecules .
PMID:11856762 PMID:12105214 PMID:15454390 PMID:17344354 PMID:18300232
Confers resistance to anticancer agents such as methotrexate PMID:11106685
PMID:10893247 PMID:12637526 PMID:12695538 PMID:15899835 PMID:17229149 PMID:25964343
Also acts as a general glutamate conjugate and analog transporter that can limit the brain levels of endogenous metabolites, drugs, and toxins .
PMID:26515061
Confers resistance to the antiviral agent PMEA .
PMID:12695538
Able to transport several anticancer drugs including methotrexate, and nucleotide analogs in vitro, however it does with low affinity, thus the exact role of ABCC5 in mediating resistance still needs to be elucidated .
PMID:10840050 PMID:12435799 PMID:12695538 PMID:15899835
Acts as a heme transporter required for the translocation of cytosolic heme to the secretory pathway .
PMID:24836561
May play a role in energy metabolism by regulating the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion from enteroendocrine cells (By similarity)
Proteins that carry this drug through the body
PMID:19021548
Major calcium and magnesium transporter in plasma, binds approximately 45% of circulating calcium and magnesium in plasma (By similarity).
Potentially has more than two calcium-binding sites and might additionally bind calcium in a non-specific manner (By similarity). The shared binding site between zinc and calcium at residue Asp-273 suggests a crosstalk between zinc and calcium transport in the blood (By similarity). The rank order of affinity is zinc > calcium > magnesium (By similarity).
Binds to the bacterial siderophore enterobactin and inhibits enterobactin-mediated iron uptake of E.coli from ferric transferrin, and may thereby limit the utilization of iron and growth of enteric bacteria such as E.coli .
PMID:6234017
Does not prevent iron uptake by the bacterial siderophore aerobactin PMID:6234017
ATC L01BC52
ATC L01BC02
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)
Fluorouracil
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
6311
ChemSpider
3268
BindingDB
50340677
PDB
URF
ZINC
ZINC000038212689
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12441
GenAtlas
TYMS
GeneCards
TYMS
GenBank Gene Database
X02308
GenBank Protein Database
37479
Guide to Pharmacology
2642
UniProt Accession
TYSY_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:11730
GenAtlas
TERT
GeneCards
TERT
GenBank Gene Database
AF015950
UniProt Accession
TERT_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3012
GenAtlas
DPYD
GeneCards
DPYD
GenBank Gene Database
U09178
GenBank Protein Database
558305
UniProt Accession
DPYD_HUMAN
GenBank Gene Database
J04230
GenBank Protein Database
7537304
UniProt Accession
TYSY_CANAL
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3012
GenAtlas
DPYD
GeneCards
DPYD
GenBank Gene Database
U09178
GenBank Protein Database
558305
UniProt Accession
DPYD_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12576
GenAtlas
UPP1
GeneCards
UPP1
GenBank Gene Database
X90858
UniProt Accession
UPP1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:23061
GenAtlas
UPP2
GeneCards
UPP2
GenBank Gene Database
AY225131
UniProt Accession
UPP2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2610
GenAtlas
CYP2A6
GeneCards
CYP2A6
GenBank Gene Database
X13897
Guide to Pharmacology
1321
UniProt Accession
CP2A6_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:7436
GenAtlas
MTHFR
GeneCards
MTHFR
GenBank Gene Database
U09806
GenBank Protein Database
6139053
UniProt Accession
MTHR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12441
GenAtlas
TYMS
GeneCards
TYMS
GenBank Gene Database
X02308
GenBank Protein Database
37479
Guide to Pharmacology
2642
UniProt Accession
TYSY_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12563
GeneCards
UMPS
UniProt Accession
UMPS_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:9238
GenAtlas
PPAT
GeneCards
PPAT
GenBank Gene Database
D13757
GenBank Protein Database
219459
UniProt Accession
PUR1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2596
GenAtlas
CYP1A2
GeneCards
CYP1A2
GenBank Gene Database
Z00036
Guide to Pharmacology
1319
UniProt Accession
CP1A2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:3148
GenAtlas
ECGF1
GeneCards
TYMP
GenBank Gene Database
M63193
GenBank Protein Database
189701
UniProt Accession
TYPH_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:399
GenAtlas
ALB
GeneCards
ALB
GenBank Gene Database
V00494
GenBank Protein Database
28590
UniProt Accession
ALBU_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:11583
GenAtlas
SERPINA7
GeneCards
SERPINA7
GenBank Gene Database
M14091
GenBank Protein Database
338697
UniProt Accession
THBG_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10971
GeneCards
SLC22A7
GenBank Gene Database
AF097518
GenBank Protein Database
5001689
UniProt Accession
S22A7_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:11003
GenAtlas
SLC29A1
GeneCards
SLC29A1
GenBank Gene Database
U81375
GenBank Protein Database
1845345
Guide to Pharmacology
1117
UniProt Accession
S29A1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:74
GenAtlas
ABCG2
GeneCards
ABCG2
GenBank Gene Database
AF103796
GenBank Protein Database
4185796
Guide to Pharmacology
792
UniProt Accession
ABCG2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:54
GenAtlas
ABCC3
GeneCards
ABCC3
GenBank Gene Database
AB010887
GenBank Protein Database
3132270
UniProt Accession
MRP3_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:55
GenAtlas
ABCC4
GeneCards
ABCC4
GenBank Gene Database
AF071202
GenBank Protein Database
3335173
Guide to Pharmacology
782
UniProt Accession
MRP4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:56
GeneCards
ABCC5
GenBank Gene Database
AF104942
GenBank Protein Database
4140698
Guide to Pharmacology
783
UniProt Accession
MRP5_HUMAN
International reference pricing
Reference pricing from DrugBank. Prices are indicative and may not reflect current UK costs.
Source: DrugBank. Used under CC BY-NC 4.0 academic licence for non-commercial purposes.
Patent information
All patents expired, 2 expired
Source: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0. Patent data sourced from national patent offices. Expiry dates may not reflect extensions, regulatory exclusivity periods, or legal challenges.
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: