ATC Group: S03BA Corticosteroids

The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Position of S03BA in the ATC hierarchy

Level Code Title
1 S Sensory organs
2 S03 Ophthalmological and otological preparations
3 S03B Corticosteroids
4 S03BA Corticosteroids

Group S03BA contents

Code Title
S03BA01 Dexamethasone
S03BA02 Prednisolone
S03BA03 Betamethasone

Active ingredients in S03BA

Active Ingredient Description
Betamethasone

Betamethasone is a glucocorticoid which is about eight to ten times as active as prednisolone on a weight-for-weight basis. Betamethasone has anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties.

Dexamethasone

Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid; it combines high anti-inflammatory effects with low mineralocorticoid activity. It has an approximately 7 times greater anti-inflammatory potency than prednisolone, another commonly prescribed corticosteroid. At high doses it reduces the immune response.

Prednisolone

Prednisolone is a glucocorticoid which has anti-inflammatory activity. Naturally occurring glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone and cortisone), which also have salt-retaining properties, are used as replacement therapy in adrenocortical deficiency states. Their synthetic analogs are primarily used for their potent anti-inflammatory effects in disorders of many organ systems.

Related product monographs

Title Information Source Document Type  
DECADRON Oral solution FDA, National Drug Code (US) MPI, US: SPL/Old