Journal of medicinal chemistryOct 10, 2013

Using data analysis of sulfur and fluorine in medicines to find new drug design opportunities

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Updated Apr 2, 2026

Abstract

A total of 1969 drugs were analyzed to explore the role of sulfur and fluorine in pharmaceuticals over the past 50 years.

Sulfur and fluorine are significant components in the composition of pharmaceuticals.
Trends were examined across 12 disease categories using a graphical montage of drug information.
The analysis highlights the structural diversity and evolution of sulfur in drug development.
Fluorine has been increasingly integrated into pharmaceuticals during the last five decades.
The findings aim to inspire new ideas in the field of drug development.

Simplified

Among carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, sulfur and fluorine are both leading constituents of the pharmaceuticals that comprise our medicinal history. In efforts to stimulate the minds of both the general public and expert scientist, statistics were collected from the trends associated with therapeutics spanning 12 disease categories (a total of 1969 drugs) from our new graphical montage compilation: disease focused pharmaceuticals posters. Each poster is a vibrant display of a collection of pharmaceuticals (including structural image, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval date, international nonproprietary name (INN), initial market name, and a color-coded subclass of function) organized chronologically and classified according to an association with a particular clinical indication. Specifically, the evolution and structural diversity of sulfur and the popular integration of fluorine into drugs introduced over the past 50 years are evaluated. The presented qualitative conclusions in this article aim to promote innovative insights into drug development.

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Using data analysis of sulfur and fluorine in medicines to find new drug design opportunities

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