Prednisolone 10mg tablets
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Prednisolone is a glucocorticoid similar to [cortisol] used for its anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anti-neoplastic, and vasoconstrictive effects.[A187463] Prednisolone was granted FDA approval on 21 June 1955.[L9431]
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 Prednisolone
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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 Prednisolone
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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.
4 branded products available
Part of the Predsol brand family (generic: Prednisolone)
MHRA licensed products
View all licensed products for Prednisolone on the MHRA register
Prednisolone 10mg tablets
Prednisolone 10mg tablets
Prednisolone 10mg tablets
This is the NHS Drug Tariff indicative price used for reimbursement purposes. It may not reflect the price paid by patients or pharmacies.
View full Drug TariffSource: NHS Drug Tariff via NHSBSA. Derived from dm+d VMPP (Virtual Medicinal Product Pack) pricing data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
10 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 NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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
Prednisolone
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
NICE clinical guidance(15)
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in adults: diagnosis and management (CG163)
Adrenal insufficiency: identification and management (NG243)
Abiraterone (originator and generics) for treating newly diagnosed high-risk hormone‑sensitive metastatic prostate cancer (TA1110)
Ulcerative colitis: management (NG130)
Guidance on the use of fludarabine for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (TA29)
Abiraterone for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen (TA259)
Osteoporosis: assessing the risk of fragility fracture (CG146)
Docetaxel for the treatment of hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer (TA101)
Olaparib with abiraterone for untreated hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer (TA951)
Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia: rituximab (ESUOM39)
Talazoparib with enzalutamide for untreated hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer (TA1130)
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: diagnosis and management (NG52)
Tocilizumab for treating giant cell arteritis (TA518)
Mepolizumab for treating severe eosinophilic asthma (TA671)
Polatuzumab vedotin in combination for untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (TA874)
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
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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
2.1-3.5 hours
Mechanism
The short term effects of corticosteroids are decreased vasodilation and permeab…
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
2 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
113-1343ng/mL
Half-life
2.1-3.5 hours
[A187394]
This half life is shorter in children and longer in those with liver disease.
[A187394]…
Protein binding
65-91%
[A187394]
Volume of distribution
0.15mg/k
[A187394]
Metabolism
Elimination
98%
[A187394]
Clearance
0.15mg/k
[A187394]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Prednisolone was granted FDA approval on 21 June 1955.[L9431]
[L9542]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1184 interactions
[L9545]
The subcutaneous LD50 in rats is 147mg/kg and >3500mg/kg in mice.
[L9545]
The oral LD50 in mice is 1680mg/kg.
[L9545]
In humans, the oral TDLO in men is 9mg/kg/2W and in women is 14mg/kg/13D.
[L9545]
Patients experiencing an overdose of prednisolone may present with gastrointestinal disturbances, insomnia, and restlessness.
[A187511]
Overdose of oral prednisolone may be treated by gastric lavage or inducing vomiting if the overdose was recent, as well as supportive and symptomatic therapy.
[L9449]
Chronic overdosage may be treated by dose reduction or treating patients on alternate days.
[L9449]
An overdose by the ophthalmic route is not expected to cause problems.
[L9449]
Glucocorticoids inhibit neutrophil apoptosis and demargination; they inhibit phospholipase A2, which decreases the formation of arachidonic acid derivatives; they inhibit NF-Kappa B and other inflammatory transcription factors; they promote anti-inflammatory genes like interleukin-10.[A187463]
Lower doses of corticosteroids provide an anti-inflammatory effect, while higher doses are immunosuppressive.[A187463] High doses of glucocorticoids for an extended period bind to the mineralocorticoid receptor, raising sodium levels and decreasing potassium levels.[A187463]
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A187394]
Oral prednisolone is approximately 70% bioavailable.
[A187400]
[A187394]
This half life is shorter in children and longer in those with liver disease.
[A187394]
[A187394]
[A187394]
[A187403]
20β-dihydro-prednisone is metabolized to 17α,20ξ,21-trihydroxy-5ξ-pregn-1-en-3,11-dione(M-XVIII).
[A187403]
Prednisolone is metabolized to Δ6-prednisolone (M-XI), 20α-dihydro-prednisolone (M-III), 20β-dihydro-prednisolone (M-II), 6αhydroxy-prednisolone (M-VII), or 6βhydroxy-prednisolone(M-VI).
[A187403]
6αhydroxy-prednisolone is metabolized to 6α,11β,17α,20β,21-pentahydroxypregnan-1,4-diene-3-one (M-X).
[A187403]
6βhydroxy-prednisolone is metabolized to 6β,11β,17α,20β,21-pentahydroxypregnan-1,4-diene-3-one (M-VIII), 6β,11β,17α,20α,21-pentahydroxypregnan-1,4-diene-3-one (M-IX), and 6β,11β,17α,21-tetrahydroxy-5ξ-pregn-1-en-3,20-dione (M-XIV).
[A187403]
MVIII is metabolized to 6β,11β,17α,20β,21-pentahydroxy-5ξ-pregn-1-en-3-one (M-XV) and then to MXIV, while MIX is metabolized to 6β,11β,17α,20α,21-pentahydroxy-5ξ-pregn-1-en-3-one (M-XVI) and then to MXIV.
[A187403]
These metabolites and their glucuronide conjugates are excreted predominantly in the urine.
[A187403]
[A187394]
[A187394]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
PMID:27120390 PMID:37478846
Has a dual mode of action: as a transcription factor that binds to glucocorticoid response elements (GRE), both for nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, and as a modulator of other transcription factors .
PMID:28139699
Affects inflammatory responses, cellular proliferation and differentiation in target tissues. Involved in chromatin remodeling .
PMID:9590696
Plays a role in rapid mRNA degradation by binding to the 5' UTR of target mRNAs and interacting with PNRC2 in a ligand-dependent manner which recruits the RNA helicase UPF1 and the mRNA-decapping enzyme DCP1A, leading to RNA decay .
PMID:25775514
Could act as a coactivator for STAT5-dependent transcription upon growth hormone (GH) stimulation and could reveal an essential role of hepatic GR in the control of body growth (By similarity)
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:19129463 PMID:7557095
Responsible for intestinal absorption of bile acids (By similarity). Transports dehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulfate (DHEAS), a major circulating steroid secreted by the adrenal cortex, as well as estrone 3-sulfate and 17beta-estradiol 17-O-(beta-D-glucuronate) .
PMID:11159893 PMID:12568656 PMID:19129463 PMID:23918469 PMID:25560245 PMID:9539145
Mediates apical uptake of all-trans-retinol (atROL) across human retinal pigment epithelium, which is essential to maintaining the integrity of the visual cycle and thus vision .
PMID:25560245
Involved in the uptake of clinically used drugs .
PMID:17301733 PMID:20686826 PMID:27777271
Capable of thyroid hormone transport (both T3 or 3,3',5'-triiodo-L-thyronine, and T4 or L-tyroxine) .
PMID:19129463 PMID:20358049
Also transports prostaglandin E2 .
PMID:19129463
Plays roles in blood-brain and -cerebrospinal fluid barrier transport of organic anions and signal mediators, and in hormone uptake by neural cells (By similarity). May also play a role in the reuptake of neuropeptides such as substance P/TAC1 and vasoactive intestinal peptide/VIP released from retinal neurons .
PMID:25132355
May play an important role in plasma and tissue distribution of the structurally diverse chemotherapeutic drugs methotrexate and paclitaxel .
PMID:23243220
Shows a pH-sensitive substrate specificity which may be ascribed to the protonation state of the binding site and leads to a stimulation of substrate transport in an acidic microenvironment .
PMID:19129463
Hydrogencarbonate/HCO3(-) acts as the probable counteranion that exchanges for organic anions .
PMID:19129463
May contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testis across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable)
PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:8898203 PMID:9038218 PMID:35507548
Catalyzes the flop of phospholipids from the cytoplasmic to the exoplasmic leaflet of the apical membrane. Participates mainly to the flop of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, beta-D-glucosylceramides and sphingomyelins .
PMID:8898203
Energy-dependent efflux pump responsible for decreased drug accumulation in multidrug-resistant cells PMID:2897240 PMID:35970996 PMID:9038218
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 D07AA03
ATC S01CA02
ATC D07XA02
ATC A01AC54
ATC R01AD02
ATC S01BB02
ATC S01CB02
ATC R01AD52
ATC V03AB05
ATC S03BA02
ATC D07BA01
ATC D07CA03
ATC S01BA04
ATC S02BA03
ATC A01AC04
ATC A07EA01
ATC H02AB06
ATC S02CA01
ATC C05AA04
ATC S03CA02
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)
Prednisolone
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
7617
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
7627
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
7630
ChemSpider
5552
BindingDB
19190
PDB
TUA
Guide to Pharmacology
2866
ZINC
ZINC000003833821
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7978
GenAtlas
NR3C1
GeneCards
NR3C1
GenBank Gene Database
X03225
GenBank Protein Database
31680
Guide to Pharmacology
625
UniProt Accession
GCR_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7979
GenAtlas
NR3C2
GeneCards
NR3C2
GenBank Gene Database
M16801
GenBank Protein Database
307166
Guide to Pharmacology
626
UniProt Accession
MCR_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:1540
GenAtlas
SERPINA6
GeneCards
SERPINA6
GenBank Gene Database
J02943
GenBank Protein Database
179971
UniProt Accession
CBG_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:10956
GeneCards
SLCO1A2
GenBank Gene Database
U21943
GenBank Protein Database
885978
Guide to Pharmacology
1219
UniProt Accession
SO1A2_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:40
GenAtlas
ABCB1
GeneCards
ABCB1
GenBank Gene Database
M14758
GenBank Protein Database
307180
Guide to Pharmacology
768
UniProt Accession
MDR1_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
1 active patent, 8 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: