# Ondansetron

Source: https://onco.cc/drugs/ondansetron/  
OnCo record `ondansetron` (Treatment). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Ondansetron (Zofran) was the drug that made cisplatin-type chemotherapy bearable. It blocks the serotonin signal that triggers vomiting and is now a cheap generic tablet, dissolving wafer or injection used across cancer care.

## Summary

Ondansetron was approved in January 1991 for prevention of nausea and vomiting from highly emetogenic chemotherapy including cisplatin, with moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, radiotherapy (total body irradiation and abdominal fields) and post-operative nausea added later, and oral, orally disintegrating, film and injectable forms available. Its introduction, the first selective 5-HT3 antagonist, transformed supportive care and it remains the backbone of antiemetic prophylaxis worldwide and on the WHO essential medicines list. QT prolongation led the FDA to withdraw the 32 mg single intravenous dose in 2012; headache and constipation are common and serotonin syndrome is a rare interaction. Palonosetron and granisetron are the longer-acting alternatives.

## Fields

- Kind: Treatment
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Also known as: Zuplenz (oral film)
- Tags: nci-list; supportive; generic
- Brand: Zofran
- Modality: 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (antiemetic)
- Mechanism: Selective antagonist of serotonin 5-HT3 receptors on vagal afferent nerves and in the chemoreceptor trigger zone; blocks the serotonin surge released from enterochromaffin cells by chemotherapy and radiation.
- Approvals: US 1991: Prevention of nausea and vomiting from highly emetogenic chemotherapy; later moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, radiotherapy and post-operative nausea

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ondansetron
- US label (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=ondansetron
- NCI drug page: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/ondansetronhydrochloride

## Connected records

- drugs: [Aprepitant (and fosaprepitant)](https://onco.cc/drugs/aprepitant/), [Dolasetron](https://onco.cc/drugs/dolasetron/), [Granisetron](https://onco.cc/drugs/granisetron/), [Palonosetron](https://onco.cc/drugs/palonosetron/)
- technologies: [Antiemetics for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting](https://onco.cc/technologies/antiemetic-therapy/), [Oral solid dose manufacturing (tablets and capsules)](https://onco.cc/technologies/oral-solid-dose-manufacturing/)
- companies: [GSK](https://onco.cc/companies/gsk/), [Hikma Pharmaceuticals](https://onco.cc/companies/hikma/)
- trials: [Study With IV NEPA (Fosnetupitant/Palonosetron) for the Prevention of Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting in Paediatric Cancer Patients Undergoing Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy (HEC)](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06904235/)
- targets: [5-HT3 receptor (HTR3A)](https://onco.cc/targets/htr3a/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/ondansetron.json