Analysis of drug-induced adverse reactions affecting appetite and taste using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report Database

TL;DR

This study identifies drugs linked to appetite and taste issues using a Japanese adverse drug event database, highlighting gaps in drug labeling.

Contribution

The study provides a focused list of drugs associated with appetite and taste-related adverse reactions, improving pharmacovigilance and clinical management.

Findings

54, 14, 24, and 13 drugs were linked to decreased appetite, ageusia, dysgeusia, and taste disorder, respectively.

Anti-viral agents were commonly associated with dysgeusia and taste disorder, while other hormone preparations were linked to decreased appetite.

15 drugs lacked taste-related adverse reaction descriptions in their package inserts.

Abstract

Pharmacotherapy is a potential risk factor for undernutrition; however, the association between individual drugs and nutrition-related adverse reactions remains unknown. We aimed to explore drugs affecting appetite and taste using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database.

JADER reports (April 2004–January 2025) were analyzed for drug safety signals across seven Preferred Terms (PTs): “Appetite disorder,” “Decreased appetite,” “Abnormal loss of weight,” “Ageusia,” “Dysgeusia,” “Hypogeusia,” and “Taste disorder.” Signal detected drugs were classified by therapeutic category, and their package insert information was reviewed.

Among 20,638 nutrition-related adverse reaction reports, signals were detected for 54, 14, 24, and 13 drugs for “Decreased appetite,” “Ageusia,” “Dysgeusia,” and “Taste disorder”, respectively. No signals were detected for the other three PTs. Regarding therapeutic category, other hormone preparations were common for “Decreased appetite,” while anti-viral agents were common for “Dysgeusia” and “Taste disorder.” Of these, five and 15 drugs lacked descriptions in the package inserts regarding decreased appetite and taste-related adverse reactions, respectively.

This study clarified drugs that may affect appetite and taste, providing a focused list for early detection. These findings may enhance pharmacovigilance practices and inform clinical approaches for managing drug-induced nutritional concerns.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-026-07734-5.

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