(Press-News.org) Medicines containing a type of PFAS or ‘forever chemical’ called fluorine are not leading to higher numbers of adverse drug reactions according to new data analysis.
In a new paper published in PLOS ONE today, researchers from the University of Birmingham studied data from the MHRA’s Yellow Card system on 13 drugs containing carbon-fluorine bonds as well as six drugs which were structurally similar but not containing this forever chemical.
Using five years of data from 2019-2024, the research team analysed the number of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) per 1 million medicines dispensed. They found that most of the ADRs that were listed for drugs containing fluorine were associated with conditions outside of the scope of usual side effects from PFAS, and the highest prescribed drug lansoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor to reduce stomach acid, had a low rate of 14.1 ADRs per 1m items.
Dr Alan Jones from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Birmingham and corresponding author of the paper said: "Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often referred to as "forever chemicals" due to their persistence in the environment and effects on human health. PFAS are found in a range of everyday products such as cookware or clothing. Recent changes to the classification of PFAS means certain essential medicines are now deemed to contain forever chemicals.
“In this study we explored adverse drug reactions reported to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme relative to their prescribing rate. Reassuringly, no statistical correlation between the fluorine content of the medicine and type of side effect emerged."
Among the 13 drugs selected for study, the team observed no relationship between the amount of fluorine atoms in the medicine and the number of ADRs reported. Among the drugs with the highest level of fluorine, sitagliptin and flecainide didn’t see highest levels of reactions.
The team also looked at specific types of ADRs across the 13 fluorinated drugs studied, and found that while reactions have been associated with PFAS-like side effects, the comparison with non-fluorinated drugs suggests that the way the drug acted was more likely to result in that ADR.
The researchers note that limitations of the study include the self-reported nature of the Yellow Card system which could lead to underreporting of adverse drug reactions.
END
Fluorine “forever chemical” in medicines not leading to added drug reactions
Review of five years of Yellow Card data for thirteen drugs containing fluorine not showing additional significant adverse drug reactions
2025-09-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
A tomato line that’s ripe for the picking
2025-09-02
Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and their university partners are helping U.S. tomato growers fight a devastating crop disease. Researchers found that a tomato line developed 30 years ago is showing good resistance to the emerging tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), a virus that has the potential to cause billions of dollars in damage to the tomato industry in the United States and worldwide.
ToBRFV infects tomato, pepper, and similar crops by distorting leaves and discoloring fruit, resulting in yield loss. The virus is seed-borne and overcomes the resistance genes in current commercial cultivars. It can easily spread when healthy ...
Why small business owners are more likely to be right wing
2025-09-02
Small business owners are more likely to identify with and vote for right-wing parties, a new study in the British Journal of Political Science, published by Cambridge University Press reveals. The research suggests it is the experience of being a small business owner that leads people to adopt conservative views on government regulation.
The study, which analysed the political leanings of small business owners in the United States, also found that current business owners, but not past owners ...
Two studies published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology reveal new variant of mesothelioma
2025-09-02
Two Studies Published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology Reveal New Variant of Mesothelioma
(September 2, 2025—Denver, Colo) Researchers working independently at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute have discovered, and validated, a new variant of mesothelioma that may lead to more successful treatments. The studies have been published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive type of cancer that develops in the mesothelium, the thin layer of ...
2024 Outstanding Article Award winner selected (published in MRE volume 39 [2024])
2025-09-02
Marine Resource Economics (MRE) is pleased to present the 2024 Outstanding Article Award to Y. Allen Chen and Alan C. Haynie for their article “Size-Targeting in the Bering Sea Pollock Catcher/Processor Fishery with Heterogeneous Incentives.”
Researchers Chen and Haynie (2024) conduct a novel analysis of the heterogeneous incentives to target different sizes of pollock in the U.S. Bering Sea fishery. By coupling empirical models of fishing revenue with a clustering approach, they group vessels by how strongly their ...
Scientists tune in to the surf’s hidden signals
2025-09-02
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Along the coast, waves break with a familiar sound. The gentle swash of the surf on the seashore can lull us to sleep, while the pounding of storm surge warns us to seek shelter.
Yet these are but a sample of the sounds that come from the coast. Most of the acoustic energy from the surf is far too low in frequency for us to hear, traveling through the air as infrasound and through the ground as seismic waves.
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have recently characterized these low-frequency signals to track breaking ocean waves. In a study published in Geophysical Journal International, they were able to identify the acoustic and seismic signatures ...
Cities face double trouble: Extreme heat and air pollution cause increasing compound weather events
2025-09-02
NORMAN, OKLA. – U.S. cities are facing a growing threat that goes beyond hot weather or hazy air. New research from the University of Oklahoma reveals that “compound events” — periods when heat wave conditions coincide with high air pollution levels — are becoming more frequent and intense in urban areas across the United States.
According to the National Weather Service, extreme heat is the deadliest weather phenomenon facing the country, causing more deaths each year ...
Deforestation reduces rainfall by 74% and increases temperatures by 16% in the Amazon during the dry season, study says
2025-09-02
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is responsible for approximately 74.5% of the reduction in rainfall and 16.5% of the temperature increase in the biome during the dry season. For the first time, researchers have quantified the impact of vegetation loss and global climate change on the forest.
A study led by scientists from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil provides fundamental results to guide effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. These are the target themes of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP30), which is scheduled ...
Nature Microbiology | Unlocking how bacteria bounce back after antibiotics
2025-09-02
Peking University, September 2, 2025: A groundbreaking study by researchers from Wuhan University, York University (UK), and Peking University has uncovered how Escherichia coli (E. coli) persister bacteria survive antibiotics by protecting their genetic instructions. The work, published in Nature Microbiology, offers new hope for tackling chronic, recurring infections.
Persister bacteria, which enter a dormant state to survive antibiotics that target active cells, are linked to over 20% of chronic infections and resist current treatments. Understanding their survival mechanisms could lead to new ways to combat recurring infections. This study utilized E. coli bacteria as a model and ...
BSC creates a computational method that reveals previously hidden connections between diseases
2025-09-02
The human body is a complex and interconnected system, where alterations caused by one disease can promote the onset of others. This tendency for certain diseases to occur together, beyond what would be expected by chance, is called co-occurrence. Thus, although there are diseases with widely known co-occurrence in certain groups of patients, such as Crohn's disease and the development of ulcers, many of the molecular mechanisms that would explain them were, until now, unknown.
A study by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) analysed molecular data from more than 4,000 patients and 45 diseases ...
Electrical stimulation reprogrammes immune system to heal the body faster
2025-09-02
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that electrically stimulating “macrophages” – one of the immune systems key players – can “reprogramme” them in such a way to reduce inflammation and encourage faster, more effective healing in disease and injury.
This breakthrough uncovers a potentially powerful new therapeutic option, with further work ongoing to delineate the specifics.
Macrophages are a type of white blood cell with several high-profile roles in our immune system. They patrol around the body, surveying ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Red light therapy shows promise for protecting football players’ brains
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities
Chemical Insights scientist receives Achievement Award from the Society of Toxicology
Breakthrough organic crystalline material repairs itself in extreme cold temperatures, unlocking new possibilities for space and deep-sea technologies
Scientists discover novel immune ‘traffic controller’ hijacked by virus
When tropical oceans were oxygen oases
Positive interactions dominate among marine microbes, six-year study reveals
Safeguarding the Winter Olympics-Paralympics against climate change
Most would recommend RSV immunizations for older and pregnant people
Donated blood has a shelf life. A new test tracks how it's aging
Stroke during pregnancy, postpartum associated with more illness, job status later
American Meteorological Society announces new executive director
People with “binge-watching addiction” are more likely to be lonely
Wild potato follows a path to domestication in the American Southwest
General climate advocacy ad campaign received more public engagement compared to more-tailored ad campaign promoting sustainable fashion
Medical LLMs may show real-world potential in identifying individuals with major depressive disorder using WhatsApp voice note recordings
Early translational study supports the role of high-dose inhaled nitric oxide as a potential antimicrobial therapy
AI can predict preemies’ path, Stanford Medicine-led study shows
A wild potato that changed the story of agriculture in the American Southwest
Cancer’s super-enhancers may set the map for DNA breaks and repair: A key clue to why tumors become aggressive and genetically unstable
Prehistoric tool made from elephant bone is the oldest discovered in Europe
Mineralized dental plaque from the Iron Age provides insight into the diet of the Scythians
Salty facts: takeaways have more salt than labels claim
When scientists build nanoscale architecture to solve textile and pharmaceutical industry challenges
Massive cloud with metallic winds discovered orbiting mystery object
Old diseases return as settlement pushes into the Amazon rainforest
Takeaways are used to reward and console – study
Velocity gradients key to explaining large-scale magnetic field structure
Bird retinas function without oxygen – solving a centuries-old biological mystery
Pregnancy- and abortion-related mortality in the US, 2018-2021
[Press-News.org] Fluorine “forever chemical” in medicines not leading to added drug reactionsReview of five years of Yellow Card data for thirteen drugs containing fluorine not showing additional significant adverse drug reactions