Pharyngitis

Summary

Pharyngitis (MONDO:0002258) is a disease with 1 GWAS associations across 14 studies and 201 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include penicillin g, dexamethasone, and chlorhexidine. A subtype of upper respiratory tract disorder — broader associated-gene and molecular evidence is on the parent page (see Disease family below).

At a glance

• GWAS associations: 1
• Clinical trials: 201

Clinical features

No curated clinical features (Orphanet) for this disease.

Identifiers

Disease identifiers

Field	Value
Canonical name	pharyngitis
Mondo ID	MONDO:0002258
MeSH	D010612
DOID	DOID:2275
NCIT	C26851
SNOMED CT	405737000
UMLS	C0031350
MedGen	45846
Is cancer (heuristic)	no

Also known as: acute pharyngitis · acute sore throat · chronic pharyn/nasopharyngitis · chronic pharyngitis · chronic pharyngitis and nasopharyngitis · chronic sore throat · inflammation of throat · persistent sore throat · pharyngeal disease · pharyngeal disorder · pharyngitis - acute · Sore throat · Sore throat - chronic · throat inflammation

Data availability: 1 GWAS association (14 studies).

Disease family

This is a subtype of upper respiratory tract disorder. Genetic, therapeutic, and trial evidence is largely curated at the broader-term level — see the parent page for the associated-gene cohort and molecular evidence.

Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by body system or component › respiratory system disorder › upper respiratory tract disorder › pharyngitis

Related subtypes (9): uvulitis, adenoid hypertrophy, tonsillitis, acute laryngopharyngitis, nasal cavity disorder, tracheal disorder, laryngeal disorder, nasopharyngeal disorder, epiglottitis

Subtypes (2): acute pharyngitis, streptococcal sore throat

Genetics & variants

GWAS landscape

1 GWAS associations across 14 studies. Top hits map to 0 distinct genes (as reported by GWAS).

Top associations by p-value

rsID	p-value	Gene	Risk allele	Odds ratio
rs148200027	8e-07	TET1P1 - LINC00373	?

Top studies (by case count)

Study	Lead author	Year	Cases	Controls	Title
GCST90478086	Verma A	2024	21,265	404,577	Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program.
GCST90652209	Liu TY	2025	7,520	185,643	Diversity and longitudinal records: Genetic architecture of disease associations and polygenic risk in the Taiwanese Han population.
GCST90478085	Verma A	2024	5,949	108,261	Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program.
GCST90481081	Verma A	2024	5,949	108,261	Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program.
GCST90018930	Sakaue S	2021	4,712	454,117	A cross-population atlas of genetic associations for 220 human phenotypes.
GCST90038702	Donertas HM	2021	3,300	481,298	Common genetic associations between age-related diseases.
GCST90478084	Verma A	2024	2,673	53,948	Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program.
GCST90436196	Zhou W	2018	966	390,045	Efficiently controlling for case-control imbalance and sample relatedness in large-scale genetic association studies.
GCST90018710	Sakaue S	2021	420	151,846	A cross-population atlas of genetic associations for 220 human phenotypes.
GCST90482062	Verma A	2024	231	6,325	Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program.

Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers

Tier distribution (top 50 variants)

Tier	Variants
Tier 1: coding	0
Tier 2: splice/UTR	0
Tier 3: regulatory	0
Tier 4: intronic/intergenic	1

MAF distribution

Bucket	Variants
common (>=0.05)	1
low_freq (0.01-0.05)	0
rare (<0.01)	0
unknown	0

Functional consequences

Consequence	Count
intergenic_variant	1

Top variants

rsID	Chr	Pos	Alleles	MAF	Consequence	Gene	p-value	Tier
rs148200027	13	88124367	T>C	0.05	intergenic_variant	TET1P1 - LINC00373	8e-07	Tier 4: intronic/intergenic

Genes & proteins

No associated-gene cohort resolved for this disease. Atlas builds the molecular and therapeutic sections — associated genes, protein families, druggability, pathways, interactions, and drug associations — by aggregating over a disease’s associated genes (resolved via GWAS / GenCC / ClinVar / CIViC), and none resolved here. This is expected for antibody-mediated, autoimmune, or otherwise non-gene-defined conditions; the curated evidence for this disease is its clinical features, GWAS susceptibility, and clinical trials (above).

Function

No pathway enrichment — requires an associated-gene cohort.

Therapeutics

Drugs indicated for this disease

14 approved, 15 in late-stage (phase 3) trials. Disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.

Drug	Development status
Acetaminophen	Approved (phase 4)
Amoxicillin	Approved (phase 4)
Azithromycin	Approved (phase 4)
Benzocaine	Approved (phase 4)
Cefadroxil	Approved (phase 4)
Cefdinir	Approved (phase 4)
Cefditoren Pivoxil	Approved (phase 4)
Cefixime	Approved (phase 4)
Cefuroxime Axetil	Approved (phase 4)
Clarithromycin	Approved (phase 4)
Hydrogen Peroxide	Approved (phase 4)
Ibuprofen	Approved (phase 4)
Menthol	Approved (phase 4)
Telithromycin	Approved (phase 4)
Ambroxol	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Aspirin	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Betamethasone	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Celecoxib	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Chlorhexidine	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Dexmedetomidine	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Echinacea, Unspecified	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Flurbiprofen	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Ketamine	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Lidocaine	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Magnesium Sulfate Anhydrous	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Penicillin G	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Salicylic Acid	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Sodium Chloride	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Valdecoxib	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)

Earlier-phase candidates (phase 2, investigational — efficacy not yet established): Dexamethasone, Meloxicam.

Clinical trials & evidence

Clinical trials

Clinical trials: 201.

Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)

Phase	Trials
Not specified	126
PHASE3	31
PHASE4	23
PHASE2	12
PHASE2/PHASE3	3
PHASE1	3
EARLY_PHASE1	2
PHASE1/PHASE2	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT04083417	PHASE4	RECRUITING	Sore Throat in Primary Care - a Comparison of Phenoxymethylpenicillin and No Antibiotic Treatment
NCT06507202	PHASE4	RECRUITING	Comparison of Remimazolam and Propofol for Recovery of Ambulatory Upper Airway Surgery
NCT07531147	PHASE4	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Effects of Flurbiprofen Spray and Ice Cream for Pain and Voice Outcomes After Thyroidectomy
NCT00547391	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Recurrent Throat Infections and Tonsillectomy
NCT01052038	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Post Operative Sore Throat and Dexamethasone
NCT01363531	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Clinical Trial for the Assessment of Delayed Antibiotic Treatment Strategies
NCT01398696	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Impact of Four Patient Information Leaflets (PIL) on Patient Behaviour
NCT01465009	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Placebo and Active Controlled Study to Compare the Efficacy of Aspirin and Paracetamol in Treatment of Sore Throat Associated With a Common Cold
NCT01681667	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Tablet vs. Liquid Suspension Ibuprofen in the Relief of Pain
NCT02178293	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Ketoprofen Lysine Salt as Mouthwash in Acute Phlogosis of the Pharyngeal Cavity Versus Benzidamine Hydrochloride
NCT02229747	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Meloxicam Suspension Versus Diclofenac Suspension or Nimesulide Suspension in Patients With a Diagnosis of Acute, Non-bacterial Pharyngitis, Pharyngotonsillitis or Laryngitis
NCT02608788	PHASE4	COMPLETED	S.L. Spray Solution® and Difflam® and Acular®Spray for the Prevention of Postoperative Sore Throat
NCT02682134	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Sore Throat Prevention Following Intubation
NCT02952157	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Effect on Postoperative Sore Throat of Lidocaine Jelly Application Over the Endotracheal Tube of Tapered-shaped Cuff
NCT03323528	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Safety and Efficacy of a Sore Throat Lozenge DORITHRICIN in Patients With Acute Pharyngitis
NCT03574246	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Effects of Two Packing Type in Maxillofacial Surgery
NCT03768882	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Comparison of the Efficacy of Intravenous Dexketoprofen and Paracetamol in the Treatment of Sore Throat
NCT04941976	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Benzydamine in Sore Throat Pain Relief (BePaiR Study)
NCT05343429	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Preoperative Aspirin and Benzydamine Hydrochloride Gargles on Severity and Duration of Post-Operative Sore Throat
NCT05436743	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Efficacy of K-Y Jelly in Prevention of Postoperative Sore Throat After Nasal Surgery
NCT05714540	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Effect of Oropharyngeal Pack Soaked in Ketamine or Magnesium Sulphate on Post Operative Sore Throat After Nasal Surgery
NCT05802628	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Salivary Drug Concentration Exploratory Study of Cetylpyridinium Chloride Buccal Tablets
NCT05825872	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Ultrasound-Guided Internal Superior Laryngeal Nerve Block for Double-Lumen Bronchial Tube
NCT00095368	PHASE3	COMPLETED	APC-111 Once a Day (QD) for 7 Days vs. Penicillin Taken Four Times a Day (QID) for 10 Days in Patients With Strep Throat
NCT00100126	PHASE3	COMPLETED	APC-231 Once a Day (QD) for 7 Days vs. Penicillin Taken Four Times a Day (QID) in Pediatric Patients With Strep Throat
NCT00144274	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Ambroxol Lozenges 20mg in Relieving the Pain of Sore Throat in Adolescent Patients With Acute Viral Pharyngitis
NCT00148499	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Tolerability of Ambroxol Lozenge 20 mf in Relieving Pain of Sore Throat in Pat. With Acute/Viralpharyngitis
NCT00242281	PHASE3	COMPLETED	APC-111 MP Tablet Once a Day vs.Penicillin VK Four Times a Day Both for 10 Days in Patients With Strep Throat
NCT00315042	PHASE3	TERMINATED	TELI TON - Telithromycin in Tonsillitis
NCT00315549	PHASE3	TERMINATED	TELI TAD - Telithromycin in Tonsillitis in Adolescents and Adults
NCT00368823	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Trial of Point of Care Information in Ambulatory Pediatrics
NCT00402987	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Testing The Effectiveness Of Celecoxib In Patients With Painful Sore Throat
NCT00525044	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Double-blind Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Tolerance of Ambroxol Lozenges 20 mg in Sore Throat
NCT00644293	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy Comparative Trial of Azithromycin Sustained Release Versus 3-Day Azithromycin for the Treatment of Strep Throat in Adolescents and Adults
NCT00647829	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Comparison Of Valdecoxib 20 Mg Twice Daily and 40 Mg Daily and Placebo In The Treatment Of Sore Throat
NCT00707902	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Clinical Trial for Assessment of Safety and Efficacy of a Echinacea/Sage Spray Compared to a Chlorhexidine/Lidocaine Spray in the Treatment of Acute Sore Throats
NCT00957996	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Safety Study of IV Peramivir in Hospitalized Subjects With Confirmed or Suspected Influenza
NCT00958776	PHASE3	TERMINATED	A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of IV Peramivir in Addition to Standard of Care Compared to Standard of Care Alone in Adults and Adolescents Who Are Hospitalized Due to Influenza
NCT01048866	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Study of Flurbiprofen 8.75 mg Lozenge in Patients With Pharyngitis
NCT01049334	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Study of Flurbiprofen 8.75 mg Lozenge in Patient With Pharyngitis

Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)

Molecule	Max phase	Trials referencing
PENICILLIN G	4	8
DEXAMETHASONE	4	7
CHLORHEXIDINE	4	4
ESFLURBIPROFEN	4	4
FLURBIPROFEN	4	4
PERAMIVIR ANHYDROUS	4	4
BENZYDAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE	4	3
KETOPROFEN	4	3
LIDOCAINE	4	2
MELOXICAM	4	2
TELITHROMYCIN	4	2
ACETAMINOPHEN	4	1
BETAMETHASONE	4	1
DEXKETOPROFEN	4	1
DICLOFENAC	4	1
DIOSMIN	4	1
IBUPROFEN	4	1
MAGNESIUM SULFATE	4	1
MENOTROPINS	4	1
MENTHOL	4	1
NAPROXEN SODIUM	4	1
NIMESULIDE	4	1
PENICILLIN V	4	1
PSEUDOEPHEDRINE	4	1
RABEPRAZOLE SODIUM	4	1
REMIMAZOLAM	4	1
SUXAMETHONIUM	4	1
VALDECOXIB	4	1
WATER	4	1
AMBROXOL	3	5