Alitretinoin
Alitretinoin is a retinoid (vitamin A–related) medicine used on the skin to treat cutaneous lesions of AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma in adults.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 1 clinical label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Panretin (alitretinoin) is a vitamin A-related gel for skin lesions of AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma in adults. It is a specialist treatment, on the U.S. market since about 2011, that switches on retinoid receptors controlling how cells mature and multiply. Irritation where you apply it is common (redness, burning, itching, peeling), so your prescriber may adjust how often you use it. The biggest risk is harm to an unborn baby, so women who could become pregnant, and men with partners who could, need effective birth control during use and for 1 week after. Limit sun and sunlamps on treated skin, and skip DEET insect repellents.
Clinical pearls
- Never cover treated lesions with airtight dressings or plastic wrap, which the label specifically advises against.
- The gel only treats the spots it touches, so many new lesions, new swelling or breathing problems need a prescriber’s attention.
- Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment or for 1 week after the last application.
- Check bug spray and sunscreen-repellent combination labels for DEET, since animal studies showed it becomes more toxic alongside this gel.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Alitretinoin, written from its FDA label.
What Alitretinoin is used for
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Alitretinoin is a retinoid used on the skin for one supported condition.
- Panretin gel (topical): treats cutaneous lesions in adults with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma.
- Panretin is not indicated when systemic anti-KS therapy is required, such as more than 10 new lesions in the prior month, symptomatic lymphedema, symptomatic lung KS, or symptomatic internal organ involvement.
How Alitretinoin works
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Alitretinoin is a natural retinoid (9-cis-retinoic acid). It binds to and activates all known retinoid receptors inside cells. These receptors act as switches for genes that control how cells mature and multiply. In lab studies, it slowed the growth of Kaposi’s sarcoma cells.
Alitretinoin dosage
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Panretin gel is for use on the skin only. It is usually applied twice daily to coat the whole lesion. Your prescriber may slowly increase this to up to four times daily if your skin tolerates it.
- Don’t use airtight (occlusive) dressings.
- Keep gel off normal skin and away from mucous surfaces.
- Wash your hands after applying, unless the lesions are on your hands.
- Let the gel dry 3 to 5 minutes before covering with clothing.
- Treatment continues as long as you are benefiting. Your prescriber may lower how often you apply it, or pause it, if irritation is bad.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Alitretinoin prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma lesions
- Apply PANRETIN GEL twice daily to coat the entire cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma lesions
- Gradually increase the application frequency up to four (4) times a day as tolerated
- Continue as long as patient is deriving benefit
- For topical use only
- Maximum: four (4) times a day as tolerated
- Reduce application frequency for application site toxicity; interrupt treatment for severe irritation and may resume at a reduced application frequency once symptoms improve.
Read the label’s full dosing text
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION PANRETIN GEL is for topical use only. Do not use occlusive dressings with PANRETIN GEL. Apply PANRETIN GEL twice daily to coat the entire cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma lesions. Gradually increase the application frequency up to four (4) times a day as tolerated. Continue PANRETIN GEL as long as patient is deriving benefit. Reduce application frequency for application site toxicity. Interrupt treatment for severe irritation; may resume at a reduced application frequency once symptoms improve. Avoid application of gel to normal skin and do not apply on or near mucosal surfaces. Wash hands after application unless gel is applied to Kaposi sarcoma lesions on the hands. Allow gel to dry for three to five minutes before covering with clothing. • Apply to the affected lesions twice daily; increase to 4 times daily as tolerated. ( 2 ) • For topical use only. ( 2 )
Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Alitretinoin side effects
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Most side effects happen where the gel is applied.
Common side effects
- Rash, redness or scaling at the application site
- Pain or burning
- Tingling or stinging (paresthesia)
- Itching
- Flaking or peeling skin
- Swelling
- Other skin irritation, such as cracking, crusting or oozing
When to get medical help
- Call your doctor if you have severe skin irritation, such as marked redness and swelling with or without blisters.
- Call your doctor right away if you become pregnant or think you might be while using Panretin.
- Let your doctor know if you notice a bad sunburn-like reaction on treated skin.
Some people in studies had severe local reactions, such as redness and swelling with or without blisters. Contact your doctor if irritation is severe.
Alitretinoin warnings and precautions
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- Pregnancy risk: Panretin can cause fetal harm. Use effective contraception during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose.
- Sun sensitivity: Retinoids are linked to photosensitivity. Limit sunlight and sunlamp exposure on treated areas.
- DEET: Don’t use it with insect repellents containing DEET.
Alitretinoin interactions
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The label highlights one product to avoid.
- DEET (found in many insect repellents): animal studies showed increased DEET toxicity when it was part of the formulation.
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before taking Alitretinoin
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- Don’t use if allergic to retinoids or any ingredient in the gel.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning pregnancy. Pregnancy status should be verified before starting.
- Men with female partners who could become pregnant should use effective contraception.
- Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose.
- Not established as safe or effective in children.
- Not enough people 65 and older were studied to know if they respond differently.
What Alitretinoin does in the body
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How much alitretinoin it takes to work, and how its effects change over time, are not known.
How your body processes Alitretinoin
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With repeated daily use of Panretin gel for up to 60 weeks, blood levels of 9-cis-retinoic acid stayed within the range found naturally in healthy people. The body breaks it down into other forms (4-hydroxy and 4-oxo metabolites) using liver enzymes CYP2C9, 3A4, 1A1 and 1A2.
How to store Alitretinoin
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Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F) . keep away from heat or flame.
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Alitretinoin
38 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Alitretinoin in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 2
- Moderate · 26
- Minor · 10
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Nutrient depletion considerations
Alitretinoin has been associated with lower levels of 1 nutrient in the clinical literature. This does not mean a deficiency will occur — it means these may be worth discussing with your pharmacist or healthcare provider, especially with long-term use.
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — not medical advice. Do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Alitretinoin: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Alitretinoin — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is this gel for?
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How do I apply it?
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What side effects should I expect?
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Can I use it if I’m pregnant or breastfeeding?
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Do I need to avoid anything while using it?
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Is Alitretinoin available over the counter?
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When was Alitretinoin first available?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Alitretinoin on HelloPharmacist
Alitretinoin forms and strengths (how it comes)
Alitretinoin is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Topical cream, ointment or gel
How this form is used
- Panretin gel is used on the skin to treat cutaneous lesions in adults with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma.
- Panretin gel is not for people who need whole-body (systemic) KS treatment.
- Panretin gel is for topical use only and should not be covered with occlusive dressings.
- Panretin gel is applied twice daily to coat the entire lesion, and may be increased up to four times daily as tolerated.
- Panretin gel should be kept off normal skin and away from mucosal surfaces such as the mouth and nose.
- After applying Panretin gel, wash your hands (unless treating lesions on the hands) and let the gel dry 3 to 5 minutes before covering with clothing.
Alitretinoin on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Alitretinoin appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
1 company lists 1 Alitretinoin product record with the FDA, mostly as topical cream, ointment or gel; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1999. Brand names on the directory include Panretin; the rest are generics.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (3) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Compare Alitretinoin products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Alitretinoin — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Topical cream, ointment or gel | ||||
| 60 mg/60 g | Topical | Advanz Pharma (US) Corp. | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 1 of 1 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 1 Alitretinoin NDCs →
Alitretinoin side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Alitretinoin — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Alitretinoin in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Alitretinoin FDA approval history
How Alitretinoin went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Alitretinoin recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Alitretinoin recalls since July 2021.
✅No Alitretinoin recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 81864 1 dose form · 1 strength
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Dose form (SCDF) Topical Gel RxCUI 384588In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 0.001 MG/MGRxCUI 313847
Look up RxCUI 81864 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Alitretinoin supply and shortage status
Whether Alitretinoin is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
Alitretinoin brand names
Alitretinoin is sold under one brand name in the FDA directory — Panretin. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Alitretinoin: manufacturers and labelers
One company lists Alitretinoin products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Advanz Pharma (US) Corp.. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Alitretinoin drug class (RxNorm)
Alitretinoin belongs to the Retinoid class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for this Alitretinoin page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →