Fosphenytoin 750mg/10ml solution for injection vials
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Fosphenytoin is a water-soluble phenytoin prodrug used only in hospitals for the treatment of epileptic seizures.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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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 Fosphenytoin
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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 Fosphenytoin
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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
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Fosphenytoin on the MHRA register
Pro-Epanutin 750mg/10ml concentrate for solution for injection vials
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
450 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
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: 8 · Randomised trials: 10 · 1994–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
James M. Chamberlain, Jaideep Kapur, Shlomo Shinnar, et al.
The Lancet, 2020
- Levetiracetam
- Age Factors
- Anticonvulsants
Linping Jin, Zhiping Jin, Zhijiang Wang
Frontiers in Neurology, 2025
Zhang Q, Peng S, Wei Z, et al.
2024
- Status Epilepticus
- Anticonvulsants
- Prohibitins
BackgroundTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of second-line medications for status epilepticus (SE).MethodsElectronic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials of second-line medications for SE from inception to January 2024. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Network meta-analysis was performed using R 4.2.2 software.ResultsA total of 23 randomized controlled trials were analyzed, examining the efficacy of 5 different treatment regimens: levetiracetam (LEV), phenytoin (PHT), fosphenytoin (FPHT), valproate (VPA), and phenobarbital (PHB). The results of the network meta-analysis indicated that the seizure control rate ranking was as follows: PHB (98.1%) > LEV (60.7%) > FPHT (40.3%) > PHT (33.0%) > VPA (17.8%). The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) values revealed that PHB had the highest ranking (SUCRA, 91.8%), followed by VPA (SUCRA, 69.3%), PHT (SUCRA, 56.1%), and FPHT (SUCRA, 5.9%) for the recurrence of seizures within 24 hours. Subgroup analysis revealed that PHB was most effective for seizure control in both pediatric and adult populations, VPA demonstrated superior efficacy in children across various indicators, LEV was deemed the safest option for children and elderly individuals, and VPA was identified as the safest choice for adult patients.ConclusionsPHB continues to be a prominent option for managing SE, although its safety profile warrants careful consideration. Meanwhile, both VPA and LEV offer distinctive advantages in the treatment of SE, with each demonstrating commendable safety profiles.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC
Jennifer Ann Klowak, Mark Hewitt, Vanessa Catenacci, et al.
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 2021
- Phenytoin
- Status Epilepticus
- Levetiracetam
Aatif M. Husain, Jong W. Lee, Brad J. Kolls, et al.
Annals of Neurology, 2018
- Lacosamide
- Anticonvulsants
- Electroencephalography
Iseki M, Yamamoto T, Ogawa Y, et al.
2024
- Herpes Zoster
- Pain
- Phenytoin
Noro S, Hatayama T, Iwai Y, et al.
2026
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Phenytoin
- Pain Measurement
Senthil Kumar C.S, Selvakumar P, Kowsik M
Pediatric Review International Journal of Pediatric Research, 2018
Kensuke Nakamura, Aiki Marushima, Yūji Takahashi, et al.
Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2022
- Phenytoin
- Status Epilepticus
- Levetiracetam
Vykuntaraju K. Gowda, Anusha Handral, BasavrajaG Veerappa, et al.
Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences, 2020
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
2 found
Half-life
15 minutes
Mechanism
Fosphenytoin is a prodrug of phenytoin and accordingly, its anticonvulsant effects are attributable to phenytoin.
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
15 to 20 mg
Half-life
15 minutes
Protein binding
95-99%
Volume of distribution
10.8 L
[L20619]
Metabolism
Elimination
1%
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
[L20619]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1811 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[L20619]
[L20619]
[L20619]
[L20619]
[L20619]
[L20619]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
The influx of Na(+) ions provokes membrane depolarization, initiating the propagation of electrical signals throughout cells and tissues .
PMID:1309946 PMID:21447824 PMID:23085483 PMID:23420830 PMID:25370050 PMID:26279430 PMID:26392562 PMID:26776555
Nav1.5 is the predominant sodium channel expressed in myocardial cells and it is responsible for the initial upstroke of the action potential in cardiac myocytes, thereby initiating the heartbeat .
PMID:11234013 PMID:11804990 PMID:12569159 PMID:1309946
Required for normal electrical conduction including formation of the infranodal ventricular conduction system and normal action potential configuration, as a result of its interaction with XIRP2 (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
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 N03AB05
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)
Fosphenytoin
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11411
ChemSpider
50839
ZINC
ZINC000001530922
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10593
GenAtlas
SCN5A
GeneCards
SCN5A
GenBank Gene Database
M77235
GenBank Protein Database
184039
Guide to Pharmacology
582
UniProt Accession
SCN5A_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:12538
GeneCards
UGT1A6
UniProt Accession
UD16_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:12541
GeneCards
UGT1A9
GenBank Gene Database
S55985
GenBank Protein Database
7690346
UniProt Accession
UD19_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:2615
GeneCards
CYP2B6
GenBank Gene Database
M29874
GenBank Protein Database
181296
Guide to Pharmacology
1324
UniProt Accession
CP2B6_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:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_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
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
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q5473363), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.