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Benzonatate

Benzonatate is a non-narcotic cough suppressant used to relieve cough in adults and children over 10.

Brand names TessalonZonatussTessalon Perles
Drug class Non-narcotic Antitussive
Rx Forms 2
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026 Content updated Oct 2, 2026
🧬 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 132 clinical label sets 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 →

✓No current FDA shortage listed · checked Oct 6, 2026 🚨Recall on record
Benzonatate at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
The Pharmacist’s Take By · Clinical pharmacist · Written

Benzonatate (Tessalon) is a non-narcotic cough suppressant for adults and children over 10 that numbs the stretch receptors in the airways and lungs that set off coughing, a familiar older option on the market since the late 1950s and available as a generic. Most people tolerate it well, and drowsiness, dizziness or an upset stomach are what they usually notice. The rule that matters most is to swallow each capsule whole, because chewing or sucking it can rapidly numb your throat and make swallowing or breathing dangerous. Keep it locked away from children, since even one capsule can be fatal to a small child within an hour.

Clinical pearls

  • Tell your prescriber if you have reacted to numbing medicines such as tetracaine, since benzonatate is chemically related.
  • Confusion and visual hallucinations have been reported when it is combined with other drugs, so share your full medicine list.
  • A numb or chilly feeling in the chest is a listed side effect, reflecting how it numbs the airways.
  • It quiets the cough but does not treat its cause, so a cough that lingers or worsens deserves a recheck.
How you get itPrescription only
Comes asCapsule, Oral solution
Earliest FDA record1958
Companies listing it with the FDA40
FDA label last updatedApr 7, 2026
FDA’s strongest warning (boxed)None on the label

Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Benzonatate, written from its FDA label.

What Benzonatate is used for

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Benzonatate capsules are approved for symptomatic relief of cough.

  • Benzonatate capsules (including Benzonatate 100 mg and Benzonatate 200 mg) are indicated for cough relief in adults and children over 10 years of age.

How Benzonatate works

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Benzonatate works like a local anesthetic — but on the inside of your airways. It numbs the stretch receptors lining your respiratory passages, lungs, and the pleura (the thin tissue layer surrounding the lungs). Those receptors help trigger the cough reflex when they sense irritation or stretching. By dampening their activity, benzonatate reduces the cough signal at its source. At recommended doses, it does not affect the brain's breathing control center, so it does not suppress your drive to breathe.

It typically begins working within 15 to 20 minutes and the effect lasts roughly 3 to 8 hours.

Benzonatate dosage

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Benzonatate capsules are taken by mouth, usually three times a day as needed for cough. Always swallow the capsule whole — never bite, chew, suck, dissolve, cut, or crush it. There is no specific requirement to take it with or without food, but follow your prescriber's directions and the label on your prescription bottle. Do not take more than your doctor has prescribed.

Dosing details from the FDA-approved label

From the Benzonatate 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.

  • Adults and Children over 10 years of age
    • Usual dose is one 100 mg or 200 mg capsule three times a day as needed for cough (some labels: one 100 mg, 150 mg or 200 mg capsule three times a day as needed for cough)
    • Maximum: up to 600 mg daily in three divided doses, if necessary to control cough
    • Capsules should be swallowed whole; not to be broken, chewed, dissolved, cut or crushed
Read the label’s full dosing text

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Adults and Children over 10 years of age: Usual dose is one 100 mg or 200 mg capsule three times a day as needed for cough. If necessary to control cough, up to 600 mg daily in three divided doses may be given. Benzonatate capsules should be swallowed whole. Benzonatate capsules are not to be broken, chewed, dissolved, cut or crushed.

Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →

Benzonatate side effects

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Like any medicine, benzonatate can cause side effects. Common ones include:

Common side effects

  • Drowsiness or sedation
  • Headache or dizziness
  • Nausea or upset stomach
  • Constipation
  • Nasal congestion
  • Skin itching or rash
  • Numbness or chilly sensation in the chest
  • Burning sensation in the eyes

When to get medical help

  • Get emergency help immediately if you have trouble breathing, throat tightening (laryngospasm), or feel faint — these can be signs of a severe allergic reaction.
  • Call your doctor if you experience mental confusion or visual hallucinations.
  • If a child under 10 swallows benzonatate, seek emergency medical attention right away — even a small amount can be fatal.
  • If you chew or suck the capsule and your mouth or throat becomes numb, seek medical help immediately — this can cause choking or breathing problems.

Serious reactions — including severe allergic responses with throat or airway spasm — require emergency help right away. Overdose can cause seizures, coma, and cardiac arrest, particularly in children.

Benzonatate warnings and precautions

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  • Do not chew or suck the capsule. If it breaks open in your mouth, the medicine can rapidly numb your throat and cause choking, severe allergic reactions, airway spasm (bronchospasm or laryngospasm), or dangerous drops in blood pressure. Emergency treatment may be needed.
  • Keep away from children under 10. Accidental ingestion has caused death in young children. Overdose symptoms can appear within 15–20 minutes, and death has been reported within one hour. If a child swallows any amount, call 911 and poison control immediately.
  • Mental confusion and visual hallucinations have been reported, especially when benzonatate is taken with other prescription medications. Tell your doctor about everything else you take.
  • Deliberate or accidental overdose can be fatal — in adults as well as children.

Benzonatate interactions

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The FDA labeling does not list specific drug-drug interactions for benzonatate, but it does note the following precaution:

  • Other prescription medications: Mental confusion and visual hallucinations have been reported when benzonatate is taken together with other prescribed drugs — always tell your prescriber and pharmacist about every medication you are taking.

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 Benzonatate

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  • Do not take benzonatate if you are allergic to it or to chemically related compounds such as tetracaine or other local anesthetics.
  • Children under 10 years of age should not take benzonatate — accidental ingestion has been fatal in this age group.
  • Tell your doctor about all other medications you take, as combinations with other drugs have been linked to serious psychiatric side effects.

Benzonatate overdose

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Taking too much benzonatate — or chewing/dissolving the capsule — can be life-threatening, especially in children. Overdose symptoms such as restlessness, tremors, seizures, and heart problems can appear within 15 to 20 minutes, and death has been reported within one hour. If you suspect an overdose in anyone, call 911 or poison control immediately — do not wait for symptoms to get worse.

What Benzonatate does in the body

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Benzonatate anesthetizes — numbs — the stretch receptors in the respiratory passages, lungs, and pleura. This reduces the reflex that triggers coughing. At recommended doses, it does not suppress the respiratory center in the brain, meaning it does not interfere with normal breathing drive.

How your body processes Benzonatate

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Benzonatate begins to take effect within 15 to 20 minutes of being swallowed. Its cough-suppressing effect lasts approximately 3 to 8 hours. The drug is chemically related to tetracaine and other local anesthetics and is generally well absorbed after ingestion.

How to store Benzonatate

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stored at controlled room temperature 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) . Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container as defined in USP/NF.

Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →

17

Supplements & herbs that interact with Benzonatate

17 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Benzonatate in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.

Severity mix
  • Major · 1
  • Moderate · 7
  • Minor · 9
Every supplement checked against Benzonatate — ranked by severity The full interaction hub: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor · every one linked to its full report. Check Benzonatate against your exact supplements

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.

Benzonatate: pharmacist answers to common questions

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Benzonatate — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

What exactly does benzonatate do — is it like cough syrup with codeine?

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No, benzonatate is not related to codeine or narcotic cough medicines. Instead of working on your brain, it acts more like a local anesthetic inside your airways — it numbs the nerve endings that trigger your cough reflex. Think of it as quieting the cough signal at the source. It typically kicks in within 15 to 20 minutes and lasts 3 to 8 hours.

Why does my pharmacist keep telling me not to chew the capsule?

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This is one of the most important things to know about benzonatate. The medicine inside acts like a numbing agent — if the capsule breaks open in your mouth, it can rapidly numb your throat and make it very hard to swallow or breathe. In serious cases, people have had severe allergic-type reactions with throat spasm and dangerous drops in blood pressure. Always swallow it whole, with water.

My child accidentally swallowed one of my benzonatate capsules — what do I do?

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Call 911 and poison control immediately — do not wait to see if symptoms appear. Benzonatate is not safe for children under 10, and even one capsule has been fatal. Overdose symptoms can show up within 15 to 20 minutes. Speed is critical here, so please keep these capsules locked away and out of reach of children at all times.

Can benzonatate make me feel dizzy or out of it?

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Yes, drowsiness and dizziness are known side effects. Some people also get headaches, nausea, or a strange chilly or numb feeling in the chest. These are generally mild, but if you feel very confused or start seeing things that aren't there — especially if you're taking other medications — contact your doctor right away, as those are more serious reactions.

Is it okay to take benzonatate with my other prescription medications?

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You should always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medication you're taking before starting benzonatate. The labeling notes that mental confusion and visual hallucinations have been reported in people taking benzonatate alongside other prescription drugs. Your pharmacist can check your full medication list for any concerns.

How often do I take it, and does it matter if I take it with food?

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Benzonatate capsules are typically taken three times a day as needed for cough. The label doesn't specifically require you to take it with or without food, so follow whatever your prescriber or prescription label says. The key rule every time is the same: swallow the capsule whole — never chew, suck, cut, or crush it.

Is Benzonatate available over the counter?

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No. Benzonatate is a prescription medicine: every Benzonatate product listed with the FDA is prescription only, so it is not sold over the counter. Your prescriber decides whether it is appropriate for you, and your pharmacist dispenses it.

When was Benzonatate first available?

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The earliest FDA record we hold for Benzonatate is from 1958: its first approval in Drugs@FDA or its earliest product listing in the NDC Directory, whichever is older. Many older medicines were in use before their first formal FDA approval, so this is the earliest date on record, not necessarily when Benzonatate was first used.

Who makes Benzonatate?

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40 companies currently list Benzonatate products in the FDA's NDC Directory, including Bryant Ranch Prepack, Proficient Rx LP, A-S Medication Solutions. That count includes repackagers and distributors as well as manufacturers (companies that sell only the raw ingredient are not counted), so fewer companies actually make it; the label on your bottle names the one that supplied yours.

Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →

More about Benzonatate on HelloPharmacist

Detailed data & references for Benzonatate Forms & strengths, pricing, billing codes, manufacturers, safety reports and sourcing — the data behind the page. Most people can stop here. Each section below opens on a tap.

Benzonatate forms and strengths (how it comes)

Benzonatate is available in 2 forms. 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.

Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Benzonatate inactive ingredients by manufacturer.

Capsule

By mouth
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Benzonatate, Benzonatate 100 mg, and Benzonatate 200 mg capsules are used for symptomatic relief of cough in adults and children over 10 years of age.
Important instructions
  • Benzonatate capsules must be swallowed whole — do not break, chew, dissolve, cut, or crush them.
  • Benzonatate capsules are typically taken three times a day as needed for cough.
  • Follow your prescriber's instructions for the exact dose; do not exceed the maximum daily amount your doctor recommends.
  • If a capsule is accidentally chewed and your mouth or throat goes numb, seek medical help immediately.
Available strengths 3 strengths
277 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Oral solution

By mouth
Available strengths 1 strength
4 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Benzonatate on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands

How Benzonatate 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.

40 companies list 140 Benzonatate product records with the FDA, mostly as capsule, oral solution; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1958. Brand names on the directory include Tessalon, Zonatuss, Tessalon Perles; the rest are generics.

2
Dose forms ⓘ
40
Labelers (makers, repackagers, distributors)
3
Brand names
140
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
1958
Earliest FDA record ⓘ

FDA-listed product records by dose form (tablet variants merged) — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (1) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.

Bryant Ranch Prepack20%
Proficient Rx LP11%
A-S Medication Solutions6%
NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc.4%
Remedyrepack Inc.4%
Redpharm Drug4%
Other makers52%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

How widely Benzonatate is used (Medicaid data)

A general measure of how commonly Benzonatate is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.

Think of this as a proxy for how widely Benzonatate is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.

2,171,868
Medicaid prescriptions filled (Q1–Q4 2025)
$24.9M gross Medicaid reimbursement (before mandatory rebates — net cost is lower)

How commonly is Benzonatate prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Benzonatate ranks #103 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 94% of them.

Where Benzonatate ranks among the drugs we measure · Q1–Q4 2025 · neighbors ±5

Utilization by Benzonatate product

Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.

The 100 mg oral capsule is the most-dispensed Benzonatate product — about 56% of these Medicaid prescriptions.

benzonatate 100 MG Oral Capsule Most dispensed

1,226,641 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 56% of Benzonatate prescriptions shown $13.3M gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $11 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 22 of 401 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197397

benzonatate 200 MG Oral Capsule

945,227 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 44% of Benzonatate prescriptions shown $11.6M gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $12 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 18 of 349 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 283417

Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.

Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Benzonatate, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 40 of 750 listed Benzonatate NDCs with Medicaid activity.

Compare Benzonatate products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Benzonatate — 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.)

Showing 140 of 140 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 140 Benzonatate NDCs →

Benzonatate 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 one Benzonatate recall since July 2021. It is still ongoing. A recall names specific lots from one company, so check the lot number on your own bottle rather than assuming every product is affected; your pharmacist can check whether your supply came from an affected lot.

Ongoing Class III Dec 26, 2023 · Amerisource Health Services LLC
Superpotent drug: Assay results were slightly above specification at the time zero point.
  • Benzonatate Capsules, USP, 100 mg, 100 Capsules (10 capsules x 10 unit dose cards), Rx only, Distributed by: American Health Packaging, Columbus, Ohio 43217. Carton NDC 68084-214-01; Individual Dose… Lots: Lot # 1014208, Exp Mar/31/2025 FDA record D-0257-2024 →

Source: 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.

Ingredient (IN) Benzonatate RxCUI 18993 1 dose form · 3 strengths
  1. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Capsule RxCUI 371031 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 100 MG RxCUI 197397 150 MG RxCUI 903291 200 MG RxCUI 283417

Look up RxCUI 18993 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.

💵 What Benzonatate costs pharmacies (NADAC benchmark)

The national average invoice price pharmacies pay for the drug itself, from CMS's NADAC survey (data as of Sep 30, 2026). This is a supply-cost benchmark — not a retail price and not what you'd pay at the counter.

FormStrengthPharmacy acquisition benchmark
Capsule · Oral 200 mg $0.101 per capsule NDC details & price history
Capsule, Liquid Filled · Oral 100 mg $0.066–$0.083 per capsule NDC details & price history
Capsule, Liquid Filled · Oral 200 mg $0.101 per capsule NDC details & price history
Why show this? Your out-of-pocket cost depends on insurance, pharmacy markup, and discounts — but the acquisition benchmark tells you whether the medication itself is inexpensive or costly, which strengths cost more per dose, and whether a cash-price quote is in a reasonable range. Each row links to the NDC-level record with its full price history.

Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), a survey of retail pharmacy invoice prices. Benchmarks shown are the range across package sizes of a representative product for each form and strength — other manufacturers' products may differ.

Benzonatate brand names

Benzonatate is sold under 3 brand names in the FDA directory — Tessalon, Zonatuss, Tessalon Perles. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.

Tessalon Zonatuss Tessalon Perles

Who makes Benzonatate: manufacturers and labelers

40 companies list Benzonatate products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Bryant Ranch Prepack, Proficient Rx LP, A-S Medication Solutions. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.

Bryant Ranch Prepack 28 Proficient Rx LP 15 A-S Medication Solutions 8 NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. 6 Remedyrepack Inc. 5 Redpharm Drug 5 Direct Rx 4 Preferred Pharmaceuticals Inc. 4 Sportpharm LLC 4 Northwind Health Company, LLC 3 PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3 RedPharm Drug, Inc. 3 Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC 2 Ascend Laboratories, LLC 2 Asclemed USA, Inc. 2 AvKARE 2 Bionpharma Inc. 2 Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2 Chartwell RX, LLC 2 Coupler LLC 2 Epic Pharma LLC 2 Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. 2 Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc. d/b/a Avet Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2 Marksans Pharma Limited 2

…and 16 more on the FDA NDC directory.

Benzonatate drug class (RxNorm)

Benzonatate belongs to the Non-narcotic Antitussive class.

Pharmacologic class Non-narcotic Antitussive
Drug family (ATC) Other cough suppressants

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 Benzonatate 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.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Apr 7, 2026
🏭
Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Benzonatate.
📈
Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
🚨
Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Benzonatate after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
132
Finished products in the current FDA directory
140
Companies listing them (makers, repackagers, distributors)
40
FDA labeler codes behind them ⓘ
43
Linked representative label ⓘ
Sportpharm LLC
Linked label effective
Apr 7, 2026
Composite sections available
14
Linked SPL Set ID
0e8f2562-2449-430f-85bb-f9195644cdfa
Linked SPL Document ID
4ed84766-51d2-3f2e-e063-6294a90a4109
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗

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. Sportpharm LLC 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 →