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Celiac.com 05/15/2025 - For people with celiac disease or soy allergies, avoiding gluten and soy in food is a daily challenge. However, many may not realize that these allergens can also hide in medications. A recent study examined how often gluten and soy appear as inactive ingredients (called excipients) in common medicines sold in Portugal. The findings raise important concerns about medication safety and labeling for those with food sensitivities. What the Study Investigated Researchers analyzed 308 different medications across three categories: Pain relievers and fever reducers (like paracetamol/acetaminophen) Anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen) Asthma and breathing medications They checked the official medication information (called Summary of Product Characteristics) to see whether these drugs contained gluten or soy-based ingredients. Key Findings Gluten in Medications Pain relievers and fever reducers had the highest gluten content—44.4% contained gluten-derived excipients. Over half (51.2%) of pill-form medications in this group had gluten. 40% of liquid medications (like syrups) also contained gluten. Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had much less gluten—only 8.2%. However, 26.7% of liquid NSAIDs contained gluten. Asthma and breathing medications had no gluten at all. Soy in Medications Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had the most soy—14% contained soy-based ingredients. 26.7% of liquid NSAIDs had soy. Pain relievers and fever reducers had less soy (6.5%). 30% of liquid pain relievers and 33.3% of rectal suppositories contained soy. Asthma medications, again, had no soy. Why This Matters for People with Celiac Disease or Soy Allergies The study shows that gluten and soy are surprisingly common in medications, especially in pain relievers and liquid formulations. Since these ingredients are not always clearly labeled, patients may unknowingly consume them, risking allergic reactions or worsening celiac symptoms. Problems with Current Medication Labels Some labels list "starch" without specifying if it comes from wheat (which contains gluten) or another source like corn. Soy-based ingredients (like soy lecithin) are not always highlighted as allergens. Laws require certain allergens to be disclosed, but loopholes exist, leaving patients in the dark. What Should Patients Do? Ask pharmacists or doctors about gluten and soy in medications before taking them. Check labels carefully, but be aware that not all allergens are clearly listed. You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication (to see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/ Liquid and pill forms may differ—some liquid medicines have more allergens than their pill counterparts. Push for better labeling so that medication ingredients are as transparent as food labels. Conclusion: A Call for Safer Medications This study highlights a hidden risk for people with celiac disease or soy allergies—medications that may contain these allergens without clear warnings. While asthma medications were safe in this analysis, common pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs often contained gluten or soy. For those with food sensitivities, the findings emphasize the need for: Stricter labeling laws to ensure allergens are always disclosed. More research into how often these ingredients appear in medications worldwide. Greater awareness among doctors, pharmacists, and patients about hidden allergens in medicines. By improving transparency in medication ingredients, pharmaceutical companies and regulators can help protect sensitive individuals from accidental exposure, making treatment safer for everyone. Read more at: nature.com Watch the video version of this article:

Celiac.com 11/21/2022 - Following a gluten-free diet for life can be difficult, Most celiacs on a gluten-free diet get exposed to gluten on a regular basis, especially if they eat in restaurants. Currently, a gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment for celiac disease. Because of this, there is substantial interest in drug therapies that can help to protect celiacs on a gluten-free diet, and, ideally, free them from a strict gluten-free diet. There are a number of drugs still in the pipeline that promise the former, at least. So what's the status of the multiple new therapies that are under investigation? To answer this question, a team of researchers recently set out to review existing and upcoming clinical trial programs for pharmacologic agents for celiac disease. The team conducted a narrative review using searches of MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane CENTRAL Library and clinicaltrials.gov. In their review, the team summarizes the pathophysiology of celiac disease, and the specific steps that might help to speed pharmacologic treatment. They also assess the evidence in support of current and future drug targets, including trials of peptidases, gluten sequestrants, tight junction regulators, anti-transglutaminase 2 therapies, immune tolerizing agents, advanced biologics and small molecules, and microbiome-targeted strategies. The team also spotlights the special challenges of conducting celiac disease trials, including identifying appropriate study populations, assessing results in the context of a gluten challenge, and interpreting celiac disease-specific clinical and histologic outcomes. Understanding these factors is crucial for accurately appraising the evidence. Finally, they outline what the future of celiac disease therapy may hold with the introduction of viable drug treatments. There is a definite need for drug options for treating celiac disease, either for accidental or intentional gluten exposures, as part a gluten-free diet, or for refractory disease. The big takeaway, is that, according to the team's reading of the data, multiple promising celiac disease drug therapies are in development, and these trials are likely to lead to approvals for the first generation of pharmacologic agents for celiac disease within the next 5 years. Color us skeptical, but that seems a pretty bullish view, especially given the crowded graveyard of once seemingly promising celiac drug therapies, especially the very recent demise of the highly touted Larazotide. Basically, we'll believe in successful drug treatments for celiac disease when we see a successful product make it to celiacs. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more on this and related stories. Read more in Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2022;55(10):1277-1296 The research team included Michael Klonarakis, Christopher N. Andrews, Maitreyi Raman, Remo Panaccione and Christopher Ma. They are variously affiliated with theDepartment of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; the Alberta's Collaboration of Excellence for Nutrition in Digestive Diseases, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Celiac.com 10/17/2013 - A gluten-free diet is till the only treatment for celiac disease, but a number of companies are working on pharmaceutical treatments. However, very little information exists bout the level of interest among patients in using a medication to treat celiac disease. A research team set out to assess interest levels among patients in medical treatments for celiac disease. The research team included Christina A. Tennyson, Suzanne Simpson, Benjamin Lebwohl, Suzanne Lewis and Peter H. R. Green. For their study, the researchers submitted a questionnaire to celiac disease patients and collected data on demographics, presentation, and interest in medication. The questionnaire included three validated celiac disease-specific instruments: Celiac Disease Associated Quality of Life, the Celiac Symptom Index, and the Celiac Dietary Adherence Test. The team received 365 responses from people with biopsy-proven celiac disease. A total of 276 women and 170 men over 50 years of age responded to the study. Of these respondents, 154 experienced classic, diarrhea predominant celiac disease. In all 339 people responded to the question asking if they were interested in using a medication to treat celiac disease, 66% of whom indicated that they were interested. The questionnaire responses broke down as follows: Older people showed the greatest interest, with 71% of people over 50 years of age saying they were interested, compared with 60% of people under 50 years of age, (p = 0.0415). More men (78%) than women (62%) women were interested (p = 0.0083). People who ate out frequently (76%) showed a greater interest than those who did not (58%), p = 0.0006). People dissatisfied with their weight showed greater interest (73%) than those satisfied with their weight (51%), (p = 0.0003) Lastly, those concerned with gluten-free diet costs (77%) showed greater interest than those not concerned about gluten-free diet costs (64%), (p = 0.0176). Interestingly, the list of factors that did not seem to influence interest included length of time since diagnosis, education, presentation, and symptoms with gluten exposure. Overall, celiacs with lower quality of life scores showed a higher interest in medication (celiac disease-QOL 69.4 versus 80.1, p < 0.0001). This survey shows a fairly strong interest among people with celiac disease in non-dietary, medical treatments. Interest was highest among men, older individuals, frequent restaurant customers, individuals dissatisfied with their weight or concerned with the cost of a gluten-free diet, and those with a worse quality of life. Just how well any drugs developed to treat celiac disease might be received will likely depend on many factors, including efficacy, side-effects, cost, ease of use, etc. Source: Ther Adv Gastroenterol. 2013;6(5):358-364.