Zafirlukast 20mg tablets
Requires a prescription from a doctor or prescriber
Zafirlukast is an oral leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) for the maintenance treatment of asthma, often used in conjunction with an inhaled steroid and/or long-acting bronchodilator.
Official documents, adverse reaction reporting, and safety monitoring
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Official medicine documents
Yellow Card
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Drug safety updates
MHRA alerts for Zafirlukast
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 Zafirlukast
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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 Zafirlukast
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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.
7 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
40 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 mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Tablets & capsules
(3)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. 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: 3 · Randomised trials: 4 · 1997–2026
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
M. Wechsler, E. Garpestad, S. Flier, et al.
JAMA, 1998
- Anti-Inflammatory Agents
- Asthma
- Diagnosis, Differential
Anthony P. Sampson
Thorax, 2000
- Alleles
- Asthma
- Cysteine
JC Virchow, Antje Prasse, Ian Naya, et al.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2000
- Administration, Inhalation
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones
- Adrenergic beta-Agonists
Samy Suissa, Rodolfo Dennis, Pierre Ernst, et al.
Annals of Internal Medicine, 1997
- Absenteeism
- Asthma
- Health Services
William J. Calhoun, B. Lavins, M C Minkwitz, et al.
American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 1998
- Antigens
- Asthma
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
Chung, K.F., Barnes, P.J.
Drugs of Today, 1998
W. Busse, J. Wolfe, W. Storms, et al.
The Journal of family practice, 2001
- Fluticasone
- Administration, Inhalation
- Androstadienes
Ghobain MA, Rebh F, Saad A, et al.
2022
- SARS-CoV-2
- COVID-19 Drug Treatment
- Oxygen
Wanda Phipatanakul, Peyton A. Eggleston, Mary Kay Conover-Walker, et al.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2000
- Allergens
- Asthma
- Cats
Peter V. Dicpinigaitis, J. Dobkin, Joseph Reichel
Journal of Asthma, 2002
- Asthma
- Bronchial Provocation Tests
- Capsaicin
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
10 hours
Mechanism
Zafirlukast is a selective and competitive receptor antagonist of leukotriene D4…
Food interactions
1 warning
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
Half-life
10 hours
Protein binding
99%
Volume of distribution
70 L
Metabolism
Elimination
Clearance
20 L/h
* 11.4 L/h [7-11 yrs]
* 9.2 L/h [5-6 yrs]
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Zafirlukast blocks the action of the cysteinyl leukotrienes on the CysLT1 receptors, thus reducing constriction of the airways, build-up of mucus in the lungs and inflammation of the breathing passages.
Known interactions with other medicines. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 549 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
* 11.4 L/h [7-11 yrs]
* 9.2 L/h [5-6 yrs]
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
The rank order of affinities for the leukotrienes is LTD4 >> LTE4 = LTC4 >> LTB4
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
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:14660639 PMID:24867799 PMID:34060352 PMID:8132774
It is strictly dependent on the extracellular presence of sodium .
PMID:14660639 PMID:24867799 PMID:34060352 PMID:8132774
It exhibits broad substrate specificity and transports various bile acids, such as taurocholate, cholate, as well as non-bile acid organic compounds, such as estrone sulfate .
PMID:14660639 PMID:34060352
Works collaboratively with the ileal transporter (NTCP2), the organic solute transporter (OST), and the bile salt export pump (BSEP), to ensure efficacious biological recycling of bile acids during enterohepatic circulation PMID:33222321
ATC R03DC01
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)
Zafirlukast
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11685
ChemSpider
5515
BindingDB
50009073
PDB
ZLK
Guide to Pharmacology
3322
ZINC
ZINC000000896717
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:17451
GenAtlas
CYSLTR1
GeneCards
CYSLTR1
GenBank Gene Database
AF119711
GenBank Protein Database
5353887
Guide to Pharmacology
269
UniProt Accession
CLTR1_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:2622
GenAtlas
CYP2C8
GeneCards
CYP2C8
GenBank Gene Database
M17397
Guide to Pharmacology
1325
UniProt Accession
CP2C8_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:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_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: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:2625
GenAtlas
CYP2D6
GeneCards
CYP2D6
GenBank Gene Database
M20403
GenBank Protein Database
181350
Guide to Pharmacology
1329
UniProt Accession
CP2D6_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:10905
GeneCards
SLC10A1
GenBank Gene Database
L21893
GenBank Protein Database
410214
Guide to Pharmacology
959
UniProt Accession
NTCP_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite:
- DrugBank 6.02024Recommended citationKnox C., Wilson M., Klinger C.M., et alDrugBank 6.0: the DrugBank Knowledgebase for 2024Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Jan 552(D1):D1265-D1275
- DrugBank 5.02018Wishart D.S., Feunang Y.D., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank 5.0: a major update to the DrugBank database for 2018Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Nov 846(D1):D1074-D1082
- DrugBank 4.02014Law V., Knox C., Djoumbou Y., et alDrugBank 4.0: shedding new light on drug metabolismNucleic Acids Res. 2014 Jan 142(1):D1091-7
- DrugBank 3.02011Knox C., Law V., Jewison T., et alDrugBank 3.0: a comprehensive resource for 'omics' research on drugsNucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan39(Database issue):D1035-41
- DrugBank 2.02008Wishart D.S., Knox C., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank: a knowledgebase for drugs, drug actions and drug targets.Nucleic Acids Research2008 Jan36(Database issue):D901-6
- DrugBank 1.02006Wishart D.S., Knox C., Guo A.C., et alDrugBank: a comprehensive resource for in silico drug discovery and exploration.Nucleic Acids Research2006 Jan 134(Database issue):D668-72