Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical
Erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide is a combination topical antibiotic and skin-clearing gel used to treat acne vulgaris.
🧬 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 3 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 →
Erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide is a prescription gel for everyday acne (acne vulgaris) that pairs an antibiotic that stops acne bacteria from growing with benzoyl peroxide, which also kills them and loosens dead skin to unclog pores; around since about 1984 and available as a generic, it is an older standby. Most people manage it well, though dryness, peeling, redness and some burning or itching are common early on. Watch for diarrhea, since even this topical antibiotic can occasionally cause pseudomembranous colitis, a serious colon inflammation; report it to your doctor, and get help right away if it is severe, bloody, or comes with cramps and fever.
Clinical pearls
- Your pharmacist mixes the gel before you pick it up, so store it in the refrigerator and never let it freeze.
- Apply it morning and evening to clean skin, washing with warm water and patting dry first.
- Tell your prescriber if you use a clindamycin acne product, since clindamycin and erythromycin can work against each other.
- Keep it away from your eyes, since eye and facial irritation are among the reactions this gel can cause.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical, written from its FDA label.
What Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical is used for
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Erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide topical gel is approved for one main purpose:
- Treatment of acne vulgaris — Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP is applied to the skin to treat common acne.
How Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical works
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This combination gel tackles acne in two ways. Erythromycin is an antibiotic that works by binding to a part of bacterial cells (the 50S ribosomal subunit) and blocking their ability to make proteins — which stops them from multiplying. Benzoyl peroxide attacks acne-causing bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) by releasing active oxygen, and it also has a keratolytic effect, loosening and shedding dead skin cells to help keep pores clear.
It's worth knowing that erythromycin can interfere with certain other antibiotics — specifically lincomycin, chloramphenicol, and clindamycin — so those should not be used at the same time without your doctor's guidance.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical dosage
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Apply Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP twice a day — morning and evening — to the areas where you have acne. Before each application:
- Wash the skin thoroughly.
- Rinse with warm water.
- Gently pat dry, then apply the gel.
This gel is mixed by your pharmacist before it's dispensed and must be kept refrigerated (not frozen) after mixing. It expires 3 months after preparation, so check the date on your label. Follow your prescriber's directions — your schedule may be adjusted.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
- Topical use of Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP (affected areas)
- Applied twice daily, morning and evening, or as directed by a physician, to affected areas after the skin is thoroughly washed, rinsed with warm water and gently patted dry
Read the label’s full dosing text
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP should be applied twice daily, morning and evening, or as directed by a physician, to affected areas after the skin is thoroughly washed, rinsed with warm water and gently patted dry. How Supplied and Compounding Directions Size (Net weight) NDC Benzoyl Peroxide Gel Active Erythromycin Powder (In Plastic Vial) 70% Ethyl Alcohol To Be Added 23.3 grams (as dispensed) 64980-328-01 20 grams 0.8 grams 3 mL 46.6 grams (as dispensed) 64980-328-02 40 grams 1.6 grams 6 mL Pharmacist Important - Prior to dispensing, tap vial until all powder flows freely. Add indicated amount of room temperature 70% ETHYL ALCOHOL to vial (to the mark) and immediately shake vigorously to completely dissolve erythromycin, then immediately add this solution to gel and stir until homogeneous in appearance (1 to 1-1/2 minutes). Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP should then be stored under refrigeration. Do not freeze. Place a 3-month expiration date on the label. Note: Prior to reconstitution, store at room temperature between 15˚ and 30˚C (59˚-86˚F). After reconstitution , store under refrigeration between 2˚and 8˚C (36˚-46˚F). Do not freeze. Keep tightly closed. Keep out of the reach of children. Rx only Manufactured by: Lyne Laboratories, Inc., Brockton, MA 02301 Manufactured for: Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc., East Brunswick, NJ 08816 Revised : 08/2025 PIR32846-00
Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical side effects
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Most side effects from this gel are mild and happen right where you apply it. Common ones include:
Common side effects
- Skin dryness
- Skin irritation or peeling
- Itching
- Burning sensation
- Redness (erythema)
- Skin oiliness or tenderness
- Eye or facial irritation
- Hive-like skin reaction (urticarial reaction)
- Irritation of the face, eyes, or nose
When to get medical help
- Call your doctor if you develop new or worsening diarrhea while using this gel — this could be a sign of a serious intestinal infection called pseudomembranous colitis.
- Seek medical help right away if diarrhea is severe, bloody, or accompanied by stomach cramps and fever.
- Stop using and contact your doctor if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as significant skin swelling, rash, or difficulty breathing.
If you develop significant diarrhea — especially if it's severe, bloody, or comes with stomach cramps — contact your doctor right away, as this can be a sign of a serious intestinal problem linked to antibiotic use.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical warnings and precautions
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The most significant risk to be aware of is pseudomembranous colitis — a serious infection of the colon caused by an overgrowth of Clostridium difficile bacteria. This can happen with nearly any antibiotic, including the erythromycin in this gel. Symptoms range from mild diarrhea to severe, life-threatening illness. If you have diarrhea after starting this gel, tell your doctor promptly.
Do not use this gel if you are allergic to erythromycin, benzoyl peroxide, or any other ingredient it contains. If you notice signs of a serious skin reaction or allergic response, stop using it and seek medical attention.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical interactions
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There is one key drug interaction to be aware of with the erythromycin in this gel:
- Lincomycin, clindamycin, and chloramphenicol — these antibiotics have been shown in lab studies to work against erythromycin, potentially reducing its effectiveness. Avoid combining them without medical guidance.
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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical
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- Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have ever had an allergic reaction to erythromycin, benzoyl peroxide, or any ingredient in this gel — it is contraindicated if you have.
- Let your doctor know if you develop diarrhea while using this gel, especially if it is watery, bloody, or persistent.
What Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical does in the body
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Erythromycin reduces acne lesions partly through its antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes, bacteria found in sebaceous (oil-producing) follicles and comedones. Benzoyl peroxide has a keratolytic and desquamative effect — it helps break down and shed the outer layer of skin, which may help clear blocked pores and reduce acne.
How your body processes Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical
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Benzoyl peroxide is absorbed through the skin, where it is converted to benzoic acid. The label does not provide further absorption, distribution, or elimination details for either ingredient as used topically.
How to store Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical
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store at room temperature between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). store under refrigeration between 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). Do not freeze.
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is this gel actually for?
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How and when should I apply it?
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Do I need to refrigerate it?
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What side effects should I expect?
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Should I be worried about diarrhea while using this?
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Can I use this with other acne antibiotics?
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Is Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical available over the counter?
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When was Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical first available?
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Who makes Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical?
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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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical on HelloPharmacist
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical forms and strengths (how it comes)
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical inactive ingredients by manufacturer.
Topical cream, ointment or gel
How this form is used
- Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP is used for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris.
- Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP should be applied twice daily — in the morning and evening — to affected areas.
- Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP should be applied after the skin is thoroughly washed, rinsed with warm water, and gently patted dry.
- Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP must be stored in the refrigerator after mixing by the pharmacist — do not freeze.
- Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Gel USP has a 3-month expiration date once it has been mixed; check the label for your specific date.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
3 companies list 4 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical product records with the FDA, mostly as topical cream, ointment or gel; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1984. Brand names on the directory include Benzamycin; the rest are generics.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Kit (3) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
How commonly is Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical ranks #685 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 57% of them.
Utilization by Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
Other Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical products — combination packs and listings not yet matched to a specific clinical product (kept visible so every prescription is accounted for)
Summed across the 5 of 7 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity.
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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical, 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 5 of 7 listed Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical — 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 | ||||
| ERYTHROMYCIN 30 mg/g; BENZOYL PEROXIDE 50 mg/g | Topical | Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Kits | ||||
| — | — | Bausch Health US, LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
| — | — | Oceanside Pharmaceuticals × 2 listings | NDA AUTHORIZED GENERIC | View NDC → |
Showing 4 of 4 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 4 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical NDCs →
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical — 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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical FDA approval history
How Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide recalls since July 2021.
✅No Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical supply and shortage status
Whether Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
💵 What Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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.
| Form | Strength | Pharmacy acquisition benchmark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gel · Topical | 50; 30 mg/g; mg/g | $1.03–$1.60 per gram | NDC details & price history |
| Gel · Topical | ERYTHROMYCIN 30 mg/g; BENZOYL PEROXIDE 50 mg/g | $1.03–$1.60 per gram | NDC details & 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.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical brand names
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical is sold under one brand name in the FDA directory — Benzamycin. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical: manufacturers and labelers
3 companies list Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Oceanside Pharmaceuticals, Bausch Health US, LLC, Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc.. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical drug class (RxNorm)
Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical belongs to the Peroxides 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 Erythromycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Topical 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. Rising Pharma Holdings, 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 →