Does penicillin VK contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each penicillin VK product label against four data sources: DailyMed (FDA Structured Product Labels), the European Medicines Agency centrally-authorised medicines database, the Plogsted curated gluten-free drug list, and the 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric pharmacy NDC analysis. Inactive ingredients are scanned against a 146-entry red-flag dictionary covering wheat, barley, rye, malt, source-ambiguous starches, and FDA gluten-free attestation phrases. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 10 product labels we checked, 9 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 1 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Can different manufacturers' generic versions of penicillin VK have different gluten status?

Yes. Generics in the United States must use the same active ingredient as the brand, but they are not required to use the same inactive ingredients. Two generics of penicillin VK from different manufacturers can use entirely different starch sources, binders, and fillers. A pharmacy may also switch which manufacturer it dispenses between fills without notifying you. Each manufacturer-specific entry below corresponds to a separately-filed product label.

Last verified May 17, 2026 · 10 product labels screened

Is penicillin VK gluten-free?

Looks mostly clean — worth verifying with the maker. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 10 product labels we checked, 9 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 1 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Drug context

About penicillin VK

penicillin VK is a brand name for penicillin v potassium — oral penicillin used for strep throat and other susceptible infections. The active ingredient is the same across brand and generic versions, but inactive ingredients (excipients) can differ between manufacturers, which is the whole point of this page.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of penicillin VK 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 10 we checked

01

(manufacturer not listed) worth a call to confirm

Mangione 2024 · penicillin V potassium 250 mg/5 mL oral solution (no confirmed-GF version found) · label dated 2025-06-09

Worth a call to the maker: No confirmed gluten-free formulation available
View source label →
02

QPharma Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [QPHARMA INC] · label dated Dec 19, 2025

Inactive ingredients HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
03

REMEDYREPACK INC. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [REMEDYREPACK INC.] · label dated May 13, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
04

Bryant Ranch Prepack nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [BRYANT RANCH PREPACK] · label dated Mar 16, 2026

Inactive ingredients HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
05

PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [PD-RX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Nov 17, 2025

Inactive ingredients HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
06

Preferred Pharmaceuticals Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [PREFERRED PHARMACEUTICALS INC.] · label dated Sep 10, 2025

Inactive ingredients HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
07

Preferred Pharmaceuticals, Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM POWDER, FOR SOLUTION [PREFERRED PHARMACEUTICALS, INC] · label dated Sep 10, 2025

Inactive ingredients FD&C RED NO. 40 · SACCHARIN SODIUM · SODIUM BENZOATE · SUCROSE
View source label →
08

NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [NUCARE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Jun 30, 2025

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
09

NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [NUCARE PHARMACEUTICALS,INC.] · label dated Apr 25, 2025

Inactive ingredients HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
10

A-S Medication Solutions nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PENICILLIN V POTASSIUM TABLET, FILM COATED [A-S MEDICATION SOLUTIONS] · label dated Oct 25, 2024

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CI 77891 · HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · PVP · TALC
View source label →

Try it live

Or screen penicillin VK right now

DailyMed updates daily and we have ~76 drugs in our static landing pages — for everything else, the live search is faster.

Screen penicillin VK live →

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 →

Keep checking

Other drugs people look up

Important. This page is informational. Drug labels can change without notice; a manufacturer attestation is point-in-time, not a warranty. If you have celiac disease and your pharmacy switches manufacturers, re-screen the new label before taking the dispensed product. For a definitive answer, call the manufacturer's medical-information line with the NDC code from your prescription bottle.