Dapsone

Summary

Dapsone (CHEMBL1043) is an approved small-molecule leprostatic drug (ATC J04BA02) targeting TAS2R40; indicated across 18 conditions including acne and dermatitis herpetiformis.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• ATC class: J04BA02 (+1 more)
• Targets: 1 (TAS2R40)
• Indications: 18 conditions
• Clinical trials: 36
• Chemistry: 248.3 Da · C12H12N2O2S

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL1043
Name	Dapsone
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	4
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	2955
ChEBI	CHEBI:4325
ATC	J04BA02, D10AX05
Molecular formula	C12H12N2O2S
Molecular weight	248.3
InChIKey	MQJKPEGWNLWLTK-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES: C1=CC(=CC=C1N)S(=O)(=O)C2=CC=C(C=C2)N

IUPAC name: 4-(4-aminophenyl)sulfonylaniline

ChEBI definition: A sulfone that is diphenylsulfone in which the hydrogen atom at the 4 position of each of the phenyl groups is substituted by an amino group. It is active against a wide range of bacteria, but is mainly employed for its actions against Mycobacterium leprae, being used as part of multidrug regimens in the treatment of all forms of leprosy.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): antimalarial, leprostatic drug, antiinfective agent, anti-inflammatory drug.

Also known as: Aczone, Dapsona, Dapsone, Dapsonum, Diaminodiphenylsulfone, Diaphenylsulfone, J04BA02, Novophone, NSC-6091, NSC-6091D, Servidapson, dapsone

Patent coverage: 23,443 distinct patent families (64,779 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 2 matched compound structure(s). One matched structure accounts for 64,477 (100%) of the total. Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
	Plasmodium falciparum hydroxymethyldihydropterin pyrophosphokinase-dihydropteroate synthase	Inhibition	5.22
TAS2R40	TAS2R40	Agonist		0.1%	P59535

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 7 (assay-derived). Sample: Prelamin-A/C, Dihydrofolate reductase, Thyrotropin receptor, Myeloperoxidase, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 6, Cytochrome P450 2C9, Cytochrome P450 3A4.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 11 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 11 total. Top 30 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
HTR6	6.74	Ki	183	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13398119
MPO	6.38	IC50	420	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18877012
CYP2C9	6.1	Potency	794.3	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_5077361
LMNA	5.85	Potency	1412	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3639414
P16184	5.82	IC50	1500	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_79081
LMNA	5.15	Potency	7080	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3650765
TSHR	5.1	Potency	7943	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3913486
TSHR	5.1	Potency	7943	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4735064
CYP3A4	5.1	Potency	7943	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4965642
CYP3A4	5.1	Potency	7943	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_5034775
CYP3A4	5.1	AC50	7943	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_6014152

Target pathways

Aggregated over 1 target gene(s): TAS2R40.

Top Reactome pathways

9 total, by targets touching each:

Pathway	Targets	Genes
Signal Transduction	1	TAS2R40
Signaling by GPCR	1	TAS2R40
GPCR downstream signalling	1	TAS2R40
G alpha (i) signalling events	1	TAS2R40
Class C/3 (Metabotropic glutamate/pheromone receptors)	1	TAS2R40
GPCR ligand binding	1	TAS2R40
Sensory Perception	1	TAS2R40
Sensory perception of taste	1	TAS2R40
Sensory perception of sweet, bitter, and umami (glutamate) taste	1	TAS2R40

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of bitter taste	1
signal transduction	1
G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	1
sensory perception of taste	1

Indications & clinical

Indications

18 indications (3 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
acne	4	MONDO:0011438	EFO:0003894
dermatitis herpetiformis	4	MONDO:0015614	EFO:1000684
leprosy	4	MONDO:0005124	EFO:0001054
malaria	3	MONDO:0005136	EFO:0001068
Plasmodium falciparum malaria	3	MONDO:0005920	EFO:0007444
Plasmodium vivax malaria	3	MONDO:0005921	EFO:0007445
HIV infectious disease	3	MONDO:0005109	EFO:0000764
pneumocystosis	3	MONDO:0019121	EFO:0007448
severe acute respiratory syndrome	3	MONDO:0005091	MONDO:0100096
stroke disorder	2	MONDO:0005098	EFO:0000712
non-small cell lung carcinoma	2	MONDO:0005233	EFO:0003060
pemphigus vulgaris	2	MONDO:0008219	EFO:0004719
rosacea	2	MONDO:0006604	EFO:1000760
pulmonary fibrosis	2	MONDO:0002771	EFO:0009448
mucous membrane pemphigoid	2	MONDO:0018746	EFO:1000680
sarcoidosis	2	MONDO:0019338	MONDO:0019338
lung disorder	2	MONDO:0005275	EFO:0003818

1 further indication record had no mapped disease name (EFO/MeSH-only) or were duplicates, and are omitted.

Clinical trials

Total trials: 36.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
PHASE3	9
PHASE4	8
PHASE1	7
Not specified	6
PHASE2	3
PHASE2/PHASE3	2
EARLY_PHASE1	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT00669643	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Uniform Multidrug Therapy Regimen for Leprosy Patients
NCT00834210	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Dapsone Gel 5% and Tazarotene Cream 0.1% Versus Tazarotene Cream 0.1% Monotherapy for Facial Acne Vulgaris
NCT01165840	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Effect of Weight and/or Obesity on Dapsone Drug Concentrations
NCT01885910	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Aczone 5% Gel as Maintenance Treatment of Acne Vulgaris Following Completion of Oral Doxycycline and Aczone 5% Gel
NCT02550080	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Clinical Utility Of Genetic Screening For HLA-B*1301, On Susceptibility To Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome
NCT02944461	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Aczone 7.5% Gel in the Treatment of Truncal Acne Vulgaris
NCT05984381	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of add-on Dapsone Versus add-on Methotrexate in Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid
NCT07244887	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Randomized, Triple-Blind, Vehicle-Controlled Trial of Topical Dapsone Gel 7.5% in Patients With Acne Vulgaris
NCT00000640	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Phase III Comparative Study of Dapsone / Trimethoprim and Clindamycin / Primaquine Versus Sulfamethoxazole / Trimethoprim in the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate PCP in Patients With AIDS
NCT00000802	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Randomized, Comparative Study of Daily Dapsone and Daily Atovaquone for Prophylaxis Against PCP in HIV-Infected Patients Who Are Intolerant of Trimethoprim and/or Sulfonamides
NCT00000991	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Study of Three Drugs Plus Zidovudine in the Prevention of Infections in HIV-Infected Patients
NCT00001028	PHASE3	COMPLETED	A Study of Pentamidine Plus Dapsone in the Prevention of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) in HIV-Infected Patients Who Cannot Take Trimethoprim or Sulfonamides
NCT00158574	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Kilimanjaro IPTi Drug Options Trial
NCT00361114	PHASE3	TERMINATED	IPT and Efficacy of Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine and Chlorproguanil/Dapsone in 6-59 Month Old Children With Malaria.
NCT01144650	PHASE2/PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Dapsone for Acute Ischemia Stroke Study
NCT01931150	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Study of Prophylactic Topical Dapsone 5% Gel Versus Moisturizer for Cetuximab-induced Papulopustular (Acneiform) Rash in Patients With mCRC or HNSCC Without Previous or Concurrent RT
NCT02627417	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Efficacy and Safety of DAPSone as a Second-line Option in Adult Immune Thrombocytopenia
NCT02865005	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Trial of Dapsone 5.0% Gel in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris
NCT05131295	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Dapsone Use in Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
NCT02939573	PHASE2	RECRUITING	A Randomized Multicenter Study for Isolated Skin Vasculitis
NCT00000596	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Diffuse Fibrotic Lung Disease
NCT00429533	PHASE2	TERMINATED	Efficacy of Dapsone as a Steroid Sparing Agent in Pemphigus Vulgaris
NCT00000739	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Comparison of Two Dosage Regimens of Oral Dapsone for Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia in Pediatric HIV Infection
NCT00000826	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Effect of Fluconazole, Clarithromycin, and Rifabutin on the Pharmacokinetics of Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim and Dapsone and Their Hydroxylamine Metabolites
NCT00002120	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Randomized Phase I Study of Trimetrexate Glucuronate (TMTX) With Leucovorin (LCV) Protection Plus Dapsone Versus Trimethoprim / Sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) for Treatment of Moderately Severe Episodes of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia
NCT01425320	PHASE1	WITHDRAWN	Pharmacokinetics Study of Dapsone-Adapalene Fixed Combination Gel in Acne
NCT01773122	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Dapsone in Acne Vulgaris
NCT01785836	PHASE1	WITHDRAWN	An Extension Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, Efficacy, and Treatment Adherence of Dapsone in Acne Vulgaris
NCT03132194	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Study Comparing Test to Aczone 7.5% and Both to a Placebo Control in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris
NCT04918914	EARLY_PHASE1	UNKNOWN	Critical Care Results of SARS-CoV-2 ARDS by Dapsone and Standard COVID-19 Treatment
NCT06819449	Not specified	RECRUITING	Rab 32 Gene Polymorphisms as a Prognostic Factor in Leprosy Patients
NCT00002043	Not specified	COMPLETED	Dapsone 100 Mg Versus 50 as Primary Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) in Patients With AIDS-Related Complex (ARC)
NCT00002283	Not specified	COMPLETED	A Comparison of Dapsone and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole in the Treatment of Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP) in Patients With AIDS
NCT00162383	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Metabolic Capacity of Israeli Populations
NCT00993694	Not specified	COMPLETED	Methemoglobinemia in Young Patients With Hematologic Cancer or Aplastic Anemia Treated With Dapsone
NCT01392430	Not specified	COMPLETED	Discontinuation of Primary and Secondary Prophylaxis for Opportunistic Infections in HIV-infected Patients

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

PharmGKB dosing guidelines (1) — CPIC / DPWG genotype-guided dosing for this drug (drug × pharmacogene):

Guideline	Source	Gene(s)	Dosing	Recommendation
Annotation of CPIC Guideline for dapsone, methylene blue, pegloticase,	CPIC	G6PD		yes

PharmGKB also curates 8 clinical and 24 variant annotation(s) for this drug (gene-keyed; see PharmGKB).

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

1 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 1 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
ISOPROTERENOL	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	TAS2R40