Drug Database
DR

drospirenone (Slinda / LPRICF113 / LF111)

✓ Approved

HyundaiPharm · ESR1 · Steroids

What is drospirenone?

drospirenone is a steroids developed by HyundaiPharm. It is approved for therapeutic indications via oral (po).

Drug Profile

Brand NamesSlinda, LPRICF113, LF111
CompanyHyundaiPharm
Drug ClassSteroids, Small Molecule
Molecular TargetESR1, ESR2, NR3C2, PGR
RouteOral (PO)
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, HyundaiPharm

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

drospirenone acts on 4 molecular targets:

ESR1estrogen receptor 1 (ER, ESR)
ESR2estrogen receptor 2 (ESTRB, ER-BETA)
NR3C2nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2VIT, MR)
PGRprogesterone receptor (NR3C3, PR)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

drospirenone is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Reproductive system and breast disordersDysmenorrhoeaPhase II

Related Research Articles

PubMedPakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences2026-05-22

Hormonal therapies for post-abortion uterine recovery: Comparison of estradiol ± dydrogesterone, transdermal estradiol gel and combined oral contraceptives.

Huang Qin Q, Luo Hai H, Dou Xi X, Wan Xiaoli X et al.

Induced abortion can impair endometrial repair, increasing risks for infertility. This study directly compared three hormonal regimens for enhancing post-abortion uterine recovery. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of different hormonal regimens on uterine recovery following surgically induced abortion. In this randomized controlled trial, 320 patients undergoing induced abortion at Leshan People's Hospital (May 2021 to January 2023) were allocated a computer-generated random number sequence into four groups (n=80 each): Group A received estradiol tablets/estradiol and dydrogesterone tablets, Group B received estradiol gel, Group C received drospirenone and ethiny lestradiol tablets (II) and Group D was a blank control. Primary outcomes included duration of vaginal bleeding, postoperative endometrial thickness, time to first menstruation and incidence of intrauterine adhesions and adverse events. The duration of vaginal bleeding was significantly shorter in the treatment groups (Group A: 4 days [IQR 2-6]; Group B: 4 days [IQR 2-7]; Group C: 3 days [IQR 2-6.5]) compared to the control group (6 days [IQR 4-7]; P<0.05). Endometrial thickness was significantly greater in Group B (0.6 cm [IQR 0.5-0.8]) than in Groups A (0.5 cm [IQR 0.4-0.7]), C (0.4 cm [IQR 0.3-0.5]) and D (0.4 cm [IQR 0.4-0.6]; P<0.05). The time to menstrual resumption was shorter in Groups A (33 days [IQR 31-37]) and C (32 days [IQR 29-35]) compared to Groups B (36 days [IQR 33.5-42]) and D (38 days [IQR 35-44]; P<0.05). No significant differences were observed in postoperative infection or adhesion rates. The incidence of irregular bleeding was higher in Group C (44.4%) than in Group D (13.0%; P<0.05), but all adverse events were self-limiting. This study provides direct comparative evidence that specific hormonal regimens offer distinct benefits for post-abortion recovery. For women seeking contraception through drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol tablets are valuable for shortening bleeding and promoting menstrual regularity. For those with future fertility goals, estradiol gel is valuable for significantly enhancing endometrial regeneration. All regimens demonstrated good safety, enabling personalized clinical decision-making to improve patient outcomes after induced abortion.

PMID 42170985
Read full article →
PubMedThe journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research2026-05-19

Safety and Efficacy of a 24-Cycle Administration of a Drospirenone-Only Pill in Japanese Women.

Kitamura Kunio K, Colli Enrico E, Kikuyama Ryoko R, Kurihara Yumiko Y et al.

We conducted a 24-cycle study to evaluate long-term safety of 4 mg of drospirenone (DRSP), a progestin-only pill (POP), for contraception in Japanese women. A multicenter, single-arm 24-cycle study was conducted in women who participated in the 13 cycle study of DRSP. In each cycle, 4 mg of DRSP tablet was administered orally once daily for 24 consecutive days, followed by a placebo tablet for 4 days. In this 24-cycle study, the total number of DRSP exposure cycles was 3878. Fifty-two subjects (100.0%) experienced treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), and 50 (96.2%) experienced adverse drug reactions. All TEAEs were mild or moderate with no severe events. The most common TEAE was intermenstrual bleeding, which occurred in 49 (94.2%) subjects. Although 50.0% of the subjects had risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE), no VTE-related TEAEs were observed. No TEAEs led to discontinuation of the study. During 3878 exposure cycles, pregnancy occurred in one subject. The overall Pearl index [95% CI] was 0.34 [0.01, 1.87], and the cumulative pregnancy rate was 0.4%. In this study, the safety of DRSP, the first POP in Japan, was evaluated in Japanese women for 24 cycles. The DRSP-only pill provides a new option for contraception for Japanese women, including those at risk of developing VTE.

PMID 42152782
Read full article →
PubMedBMC ophthalmology2026-05-03

Hormone therapy preserves ocular surface integrity following circadian alignment disturbance in menopausal rats.

Acer Semra S, Argun Mehmet M, Özmen Özlem Ö, Açıkgöz Cafer C et al.

This study examines the impact of a light-cycle shift regimen on corneal and conjunctival tissues in menopausal rats and evaluates the protective role of combined hormone therapy. Twenty-four menopausal female albino rats were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 8) following a 10-day acclimatization period. Group 1 (Control+Saline) was maintained under a 12:12 light/dark cycle. Light-cycle shift regimen was induced in Groups 2 and 3 using a rotating 7-day light-exposure sequence repeated over 21 days; this protocol consisted of 24 h of continuous light, 72 h of inverted dark-light timing, and 72 h of standard light-dark conditions. Groups 1 and 2 received saline, while Group 3 received 17β-Estradiol and drospirenone daily via oral gavage. After 31 days, eyes were enucleated for histological and immunohistochemical analyses of corneal, conjunctival, and palpebral tissues, including caspase-3 (Cas-3), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and PERIOD-2 (PER2) expression. Light-cycle shift regimen (Group 2) significantly increased corneal thickness (p < 0.001), conjunctival inflammation, and vascular congestion, with marked upregulation of Cas-3 and TNF-α and downregulation of PER2. Hormone therapy (Group 3) attenuated these effects, showing reduced corneal edema, diminished inflammatory infiltration, and partial normalization of molecular markers. Shifting light-dark cycles may aggravate inflammatory and apoptotic changes in the ocular surface during menopause. Estrogen-progestin therapy attenuates these alterations by modulating the expression of the circadian-associated protein PER2 and maintaining structural integrity. These findings suggest that hormone therapy may offer potential benefits for preserving ocular surface homeostasis in menopausal women experiencing sleep or circadian rhythm disturbances.

PMID 42069506
Read full article →
PubMedFrontiers in microbiology2026-04-27

Exploring the molecular crosstalk between the sex steroids drospirenone and ethinylestradiol with vaginal lactobacilli.

Muscò Aryanna A, Tarracchini Chiara C, Rizzo Sonia Mirjam SM, Viappiani Alice A et al.

The vaginal microbiota, dominated by the genus Lactobacillus spp., plays a crucial role in maintaining vaginal homeostasis and protecting against infection through lactic acid production, antimicrobial compound secretion and competitive exclusion of pathogens. Although hormonal fluctuations are known to influence microbial composition, the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions remain largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct effects of the synthetic sex hormones drospirenone and ethinylestradiol, key components of hormonal contraceptives, on representative vaginal Lactobacillus species. Representative Lactobacillus species associated with different vaginal Community State Types (CSTs) were exposed to drospirenone and ethinylestradiol under simulated vaginal conditions. Lactobacilli responses were assessed using growth assays and RNA-seq transcriptome profiling to evaluate species-specific transcriptional changes following hormonal exposure. Among the tested strains, Lactobacillus crispatus PRL2021 showed the most pronounced transcriptomic modulation. In this strain, hormone treatment led to the upregulation of genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, and stress adaptation. Specifically, expression of the histidine kinase gene sasA_1, part of a two-component regulatory system potentially involved in environmental sensing, was induced. Additionally, the ribBA and ribE genes, predicted to be involved in riboflavin biosynthesis and associated with antioxidant defense and mucosal protection, were upregulated. These findings demonstrate that drospirenone and ethinylestradiol can directly modulate bacterial gene expression, revealing a previously underinvestigated molecular crosstalk between host endocrine signals and the vaginal microbiota. This interaction may contribute to the maintenance of vaginal eubiosis and has potential implications for the development of microbiome-targeted strategies to support women's health. Further studies are needed to elucidate the broader functional consequences of hormone-microbiota interactions and their clinical relevance.

PMID 42039845
Read full article →
PubMedPhysiological reports2026-04-27

Synthetic estrogen and progestin effects on the myogenic program following damage in C2C12 murine myoblasts.

Wageh Mai M, Kamal Michael M, Parise Gianni G

Females exhibit distinct responses to exercise-induced muscle damage, possibly due to circulating hormone profiles. Despite the widespread use of oral contraceptives (OC) among females, the muscle damage and repair response during synthetic hormone use remains unknown. This study investigated how ethinyl estradiol (EE) and synthetic progestins [representing the different OC generations: medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), OC1; levonorgestrel (LNG), OC2; desogestrel (DSG), OC3; and drospirenone (DRP), OC4] influence C2C12 myoblast behavior. We examined proliferation, differentiation, and migration at baseline and following electrical pulse stimulation (EPS). While MPA and LNG alone increased myoblast proliferation (~19%; p < 0.05), their combination with EE (creating OC1 and OC2, respectively) reduced proliferation (15%-17%; p < 0.05) versus the vehicle control (VEH). All OC formulations significantly impaired migration (46%-61%; p < 0.001) without affecting differentiation. Post-EPS, only OC1 and OC2 conditions showed elevated creatine kinase alongside upregulated early myogenic proteins and modulation of hormone receptors. These results indicate that synthetic sex hormones in OCs can significantly alter myoblast responses to damaging stimuli in a generation-specific manner. OC use may influence muscle repair processes differently than natural hormonal profiles, highlighting the need for further investigation into how contraceptive formulations affect exercise recovery in women.

PMID 42036386
Read full article →
PubMedGynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology2026-04-22

Continuous estetrol/drospirenone regimen for the treatment of endometriosis-related pain: preliminary results.

Dell'Aquila Michela M, Della Corte Luigi L, Kafetzis Dimitrios D, Bifulco Giuseppe G et al.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition that causes significant physical and psychological distress. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of a combined oral contraceptive containing estetrol (E4, 14 mg) and drospirenone (DRSP, 3 mg) in managing endometriosis-related pain. A retrospective cohort study was carried out at the Endometriosis Center, Federico II University Hospital, Naples, from January 2024 to November 2024. Forty patients with diagnosis of endometriosis and significant pain symptoms (VAS > 6) were included and received E4/DRSP under a continuous regimen for 6 months. Chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, and patient quality of life were assessed at baseline, after 3 and 6 months. In the group of patients with endometrioma, reduction in size was evaluated. E4/DRSP significantly reduced chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia. Dysmenorrhea was resolved entirely due to amenorrhea induction. Endometriomas decreased in size by 30% on average after 6 months. Adverse effects were mild and occurred in 13/40 of patients (32.5%). E4/DRSP demonstrated efficacy and tolerability for managing endometriosis-related pain, offering a promising option for long-term treatment. Further research is needed to confirm its impact on lesion regression and disease progression.

PMID 42018156
Read full article →

+1013 more articles available with a free account

Sign up free to view all articles →

Ask about drospirenone