Is esomeprazole gluten-free?
Nothing on the labels looks like gluten. We checked 11 product labels for esomeprazole and didn't find any ingredients on our gluten red-flag list. Worth noting — this isn't the same as a manufacturer attestation. Formulations can change without notice, and starch sources aren't always disclosed.
Drug context
About esomeprazole
Esomeprazole is a proton-pump inhibitor used for GERD and erosive esophagitis, sold under brand names including Nexium.
Why this matters
Different manufacturers, different ingredients
Generics of esomeprazole use the same active ingredient, but they aren't required to use the same inactive ingredients. Your pharmacy may switch which manufacturer they dispense between fills, sometimes without telling you. The list below shows each manufacturer's product label as a separate entry, because that's the granularity that actually matters when you're celiac.
The labels
The 11 we checked
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01Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C RED NO. 3 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MEGLUMINE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SHELLAC · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
View source label → -
02NCS HealthCare of KY, LLC dba Vangard Labs nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ALCOHOL · AMMONIA · BUTYL ALCOHOL · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONO- AND DIPALMITOSTEARATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL · MAGNESIUM CARBONATE · MAGNESIUM OXIDE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · POLYSORBATE 80 · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · SUCROSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
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03AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ALCOHOL · ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · ANHYDROUS DEXTROSE · BUTYL ALCOHOL · D&C RED NO. 28 · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · METHACRYLIC ACID · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · POTASSIUM SORBATE · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · SODIUM HYDROXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE · WATER
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04YYBA CORP nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM CARBONATE · MAGNESIUM OXIDE · METHACRYLIC ACID-ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER (1:1) TYPE A · POLYSORBATE 80 · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · SUCROSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
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05OPMX LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · DIMETHICONE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · METHACRYLIC ACID-ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER (1:1) TYPE A · POLYSORBATE 80 · POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · SUCROSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
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06Walgreens nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSPOVIDONE · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GLYCERYL MONO AND DIPALMITOSTEARATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, LOW SUBSTITUTED · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STEARYL FUMARATE · STARCH, CORN · SUCROSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
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07HyVee Inc nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C RED NO. 3 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MEGLUMINE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SHELLAC · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
View source label → -
08WALMART INC. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ACACIA · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 3 · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MEGLUMINE · MENTHOL, UNSPECIFIED FORM · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · PEPPERMINT OIL · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SPEARMINT OIL · SUCRALOSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
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09Strategic Sourcing Services LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 3 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MEGLUMINE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SHELLAC · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIETHYL CITRATE
View source label → -
10PHOENIX RX LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM OXIDE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · PLASACRYL T20 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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11(manufacturer not listed) nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients Glycerol monostearate 40-55 · Hydroxypropylcellulose · Hypromellose 2910 (6 mPa·s) · Reddish-brown iron oxide · Yellow iron oxide · Magnesium stearate · Methacrylic acid ethylacrylate copolymer (1:1) dispersion 30 per cent · Cellulose microcrystalline · Synthetic Paraffin · Macrogol 6000 · Polysorbate 80 · Crospovidone (Type A) · Sodium stearyl fumarate · Sugar spheres (sucrose and maize starch) · Talc · Titanium dioxide · triethyl citrate (see section 2, “Nexium Control contains sucrose, sodium”) · Methacrylic acid - ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1) dispersion 30 per cent · Carmine · Indigo carmine · Gelatin · Erythrosine · Allura red AC · Povidone K-17 · Propylene glycol · Shellac · Sodium hydroxide · Band · hypromellose
View source label →
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Background
What “gluten in a medication” actually means
Gluten enters drugs through their excipients — the inactive ingredients used to bind, coat, fill, or stabilize the dose. The main concern is wheat starch as a filler. Source-ambiguous starches (plain “starch”, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, modified starch) get flagged for verification because their botanical origin isn't always disclosed on the label.
The 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric NDC analysis (689 NDCs across the top 100 pediatric medications) found 1.5% contained gluten outright; another 25.7% couldn't be confirmed either way. Liquid and oral-suspension formulations carry disproportionate risk because wheat starch is a common thickener. Full methodology →
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