Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41897316›Full record

ReviewBiomolecules2026

Halogen-Containing Drugs in 2025: A Record Year for the Therapeutic Use and Synthesis of FDA-Approved Small Molecules.

Davide Benedetto Tiz, Marco D'Alì, Nunzio Iraci, Claudio Santi, Luca Sancineto

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomolecules, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Davide Benedetto TizLaboratory of Molecular Logic Gates, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta.ORCID 0000-0002-2016-1210
Marco D'AlìDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0009-0007-2225-2996
Nunzio IraciDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1359-8684
Claudio SantiGroup of Catalysis and Organic Green Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7698-8970
Luca SancinetoGroup of Catalysis and Organic Green Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Via del Liceo 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6199-7399

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Halogens, particularly fluorine, chlorine, and bromine, play a pivotal role in modern drug discovery and development. Their incorporation into drug molecules significantly influences physicochemical properties, including lipophilicity, metabolic stability, and target binding affinity. Fluorine, the most commonly used halogen, enhances bioavailability and receptor interactions, as seen in several blockbuster drugs. Chlorine and bromine contribute to hydrophobic interactions and modulate pharmacokinetics, while iodine is less frequently utilized due to its larger atomic size and reactivity. The strategic placement of halogens in drug scaffolds has led to the success of numerous FDA-approved pharmaceuticals across therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, and central nervous system disorders. This review explores the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of halogen-containing drugs, highlighting recent approvals (2025), their synthesis (with yields, when available), therapeutic use, and, when experimentally available, the interaction with their biological target macromolecules.

Indexed as

HalogensSmall Molecule LibrariesDrug ApprovalDrug DiscoveryHumansStructure-Activity RelationshipUnited StatesUnited States Food and Drug AdministrationHalogensSmall Molecule Librariesapproved drugsFDAhalogensmedicinal chemistrysynthesis

Identifiers

PMID41897316
PMCPMC13023470

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.