Does prednisone contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each prednisone product label against four data sources: DailyMed (FDA Structured Product Labels), the European Medicines Agency centrally-authorised medicines database, the Plogsted curated gluten-free drug list, and the 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric pharmacy NDC analysis. Inactive ingredients are scanned against a 146-entry red-flag dictionary covering wheat, barley, rye, malt, source-ambiguous starches, and FDA gluten-free attestation phrases. Of 16 product labels we cross-checked, 2 list a gluten-derived ingredient outright. Generics from different manufacturers can differ — check which manufacturer's version your pharmacy dispensed before assuming any fill is safe.

Can different manufacturers' generic versions of prednisone have different gluten status?

Yes. Generics in the United States must use the same active ingredient as the brand, but they are not required to use the same inactive ingredients. Two generics of prednisone from different manufacturers can use entirely different starch sources, binders, and fillers. A pharmacy may also switch which manufacturer it dispenses between fills without notifying you. Each manufacturer-specific entry below corresponds to a separately-filed product label.

DailyMed checked live · reference data updated May 17, 2026 · 16 product labels screened

Is prednisone gluten-free?

Some formulations contain gluten. Of 16 product labels we cross-checked, 2 list a gluten-derived ingredient outright. Generics from different manufacturers can differ — check which manufacturer's version your pharmacy dispensed before assuming any fill is safe.

Drug context

About prednisone

Prednisone is a corticosteroid used for inflammation, autoimmune disease, and asthma exacerbations, sold under brand names including Deltasone, Rayos.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of prednisone use the same active ingredient, but they aren't required to use the same inactive ingredients. Your pharmacy may switch which manufacturer they dispense between fills, sometimes without telling you. The list below shows each manufacturer's product label as a separate entry, because that's the granularity that actually matters when you're celiac.

The labels

The 16 we checked

01

Westward Pharmaceutical (Hikma) contains gluten

Mangione 2024 · prednisone 10 mg tablet [Westward Pharmaceutical (Hikma)] · label dated 2025-06-09

Gluten on the label: Manufacturer-declared gluten content (Matson et al. 2025 (peer-reviewed): the manufacturer of this NDC confirmed that the product contains gluten.)
View source label →
02

Westward Pharmaceutical (Hikma) contains gluten

Mangione 2024 · prednisone 20 mg tablet [Westward Pharmaceutical (Hikma)] · label dated 2025-06-09

Gluten on the label: Manufacturer-declared gluten content (Matson et al. 2025 (peer-reviewed): the manufacturer of this NDC confirmed that the product contains gluten.)
View source label →
03

Actavis worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Prednisone tablets all strengths [Actavis] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
04

Par worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Prednisone tablets all strengths [Par] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
05

West-ward worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Prednisone tablets all strengths [West-ward] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
06

Watson worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Prednisone tablets all strengths [Watson] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
07

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 26, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
08

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 23, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID
View source label →
09

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 23, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
10

Redpharm Drug nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [REDPHARM DRUG] · label dated Jun 15, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CROSPOVIDONE · DOCUSATE SODIUM · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM BENZOATE
View source label →
11

Par Health USA, LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [PAR HEALTH USA, LLC] · label dated Jun 09, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
12

Coupler LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [COUPLER LLC] · label dated Jun 08, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
13

ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [ANI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Jun 01, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
14

QPharma Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [QPHARMA INC] · label dated May 25, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
15

ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated May 20, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
16

Northwind Health Company, LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PREDNISONE TABLET [NORTHWIND HEALTH COMPANY, LLC] · label dated May 13, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →

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Background

What “gluten in a medication” actually means

Gluten enters drugs through their excipients — the inactive ingredients used to bind, coat, fill, or stabilize the dose. The main concern is wheat starch as a filler. Source-ambiguous starches (plain “starch”, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, modified starch) get flagged for verification because their botanical origin isn't always disclosed on the label.

The 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric NDC analysis (689 NDCs across the top 100 pediatric medications) found 1.5% contained gluten outright; another 25.7% couldn't be confirmed either way. Liquid and oral-suspension formulations carry disproportionate risk because wheat starch is a common thickener. Full methodology →

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