Compiled from public FDA, CMS, DailyMed, NADAC, and related drug data sources. Editorial policy
⚠️
Other active recalls for Erythromycin (different manufacturers) — 2 · tap to view
These affect other manufacturers’ products for the same ingredient — not necessarily the exact NDC on this page.
Class II · Apr 29, 2026 — CGMP Deviations; presence of N-Nitroso-Desmethyl-Erythromycin above the recommended acceptable intake limit (Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc)· FDA recall D-0545-2026
Class II · Apr 29, 2026 — CGMP Deviations; presence of N-Nitroso-Desmethyl-Erythromycin above the recommended acceptable intake limit (Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc)· FDA recall D-0544-2026
Each entry is an official FDA enforcement report — look up any recall number in the FDA recall database ↗
Therapeutic class — broad (HIC1)Ear/Eye/Nose/Rectum/Topical/Vagina/Other
HIC2 codeQ6
Therapeutic class — intermediate (HIC2)Ophthalmic Preparations
HIC3 codeQ6W
Therapeutic class — specific (HIC3)Ophthalmic Antibiotics
AHFS code08:12.12.04
AHFS classErythromycin Antibiotics
FDB label nameERYTHROMYCIN 0.5% EYE OINTMENT
FDB brand nameErythromycin
Legend statusF — Federal legend — prescription drug or device
TE code (Orange Book)AT · RLD · RS
Why two NDCs?
The FDA registers this code as 24208-910-55 — a 5-3-2 layout, and that's what's printed on the package and shown on DailyMed. For insurance claims, every NDC is standardized to a uniform 11-digit 5-4-2 format by adding a zero to the product segment → 24208-0910-55. Same drug, same package — only the format differs.
Where does this data come from?
Identifiers from the FDA openFDA NDC Directory and Structured Product Labeling; RxCUI from RxNorm (NLM); GPI from Medi-Span; GCN / HIC / AHFS / legend from First Databank.
Drug family (ATC)Antiinfectives for treatment of acne, Macrolides, Antibiotics
Where does this data come from?
Therapeutic classes from RxNorm RxClass (U.S. National Library of Medicine) — Established Pharmacologic Class (FDA), ATC drug family (WHO) and mechanism of action, matched by this product’s RxCUI.
The labeler markets the product; the application holder owns the FDA approval. They’re often the same company but can differ (e.g. a repackager or an authorized generic). A mailing address / phone appears here when the manufacturer includes it in the product’s FDA label (not all do).
Where does this data come from?
Labeler, application holder and registered establishment from the FDA openFDA NDC Directory and Drugs@FDA; address/contact from the product’s FDA label.
🩺 Clinical
Label name ERYTHROMYCIN 0.5% EYE OINTMENTIngredient Erythromycin Base
📖 What it is MedlinePlus · NLM
Erythromycin ophthalmic is used to treat bacterial infections of the eye and prevent bacterial infections of the eye in newborn babies. Erythromycin is in a class of medications called macrolide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infections.
Erythromycin treats a pretty wide range of bacterial infections. That includes respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia, skin infections, whooping cough, Legionnaires'...
What kinds of infections does erythromycin treat?
It depends on the form you have. If you're taking ERY-TAB delayed-release tablets, they work best on an empty stomach — ideally about 2 hours before a meal, though taking them with...
Can I take this on an empty stomach, or do I need food?
An association is not a deficiency. Educational only — don't start or stop anything without professional guidance.
Where does this data come from?
Plain-language summary from MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine); supplement & herbal interactions and nutrient depletion data from the Natural Medicines database; our full guide is HelloPharmacist editorial content.
💬 Questions about Erythromycin?
Ask a licensed pharmacist directly — free, answered by our team.
Inactive ingredients, also called excipients, are components of the drug product
other than the active ingredient. They may include fillers, dyes, coatings, preservatives, flavors,
or other formulation ingredients.
💡 Tap an ingredient (hover on desktop) to see what it is and why it’s used.
UNII T5L8T28FGP
Mineral oil is a clear, odorless liquid derived from crude oil. It acts as a lubricant and emollient in medications, helping pills slide smoothly during manufacturing and aiding moisture retention in topical products.
UNII 4T6H12BN9U
Petrolatum is a purified mineral oil-based jelly derived from petroleum. In medicines, it acts as an emollient, lubricant, and moisture barrier to soften skin, reduce friction, and help prevent water loss from formulations.
2 inactive ingredients listed in the exact product block matched to this NDC.
Where does this data come from?
Data sourced from official FDA Structured Product Labeling (SPL) via DailyMed — ingredient classCode="IACT" elements from the exact product block matched by this NDC. Label-section narrative from DailyMed / the openFDA label index is shown separately when available.
Inactive ingredient FAQ
Are inactive ingredients the same for every manufacturer?
No. Inactive ingredients can differ by manufacturer, dosage form, strength, and package / product version.
Why might an inactive ingredient be missing?
Some SPLs do not provide a complete structured inactive-ingredient list, and older or unusual labels may only include the information in narrative text.
Can inactive ingredients matter?
Yes. They can matter for allergies, intolerances, dyes, gluten / lactose concerns, preservatives, and formulation differences — but confirm with a pharmacist or the manufacturer when it’s clinically important.
💲 Pricing
A drug doesn't have one price. Each row is a different public payment system, and none is what you'd pay at the counter — that depends on your insurance. The ⓘ on each row explains what it measures.
Price system
Per g
Per package
Retail pharmacies payNADAC · weekly
$2.834
$9.92 / 3.5 g
Medicaid paysCMS SDUD · 12 mo
$4.65
$16.27 / 3.5 g
Medicare drug plans payPart D · Q2 2026
$3.24
$11.34 / 3.5 g
NADAC price history (per g) — tap or hover for the price & month
▼ Down 2% over the last 24 months.
Where does this data come from?
NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) is the CMS weekly pharmacy-acquisition-cost survey — what pharmacies pay. ASP (Average Sales Price) is the CMS Medicare Part B drug-payment file, published quarterly. Medicaid pays is computed by us from CMS State Drug Utilization Data (total reimbursed ÷ units, trailing 12 months) — gross of rebates and inclusive of dispensing fees, so it reflects what Medicaid paid, not an acquisition cost. Medicare drug plans pay is the median negotiated point-of-sale unit cost across plans listing this NDC in the CMS quarterly Prescription Drug Plan pricing files, before rebates. The VA pays is the federal contract price (FSS, and the statutory Big 4 ceiling where listed) from the VA National Acquisition Center pharmaceutical price file. All are free public government data; each measures a different payer, so the figures are not directly comparable.
About this product: this is a generic version of the medicine. FDA equivalence ratings are shown when available, and other versions are listed above, least expensive first.
Where does this data come from?
Equivalents are other NDCs of the same ingredient, form and route from the openFDA NDC Directory, ranked least-expensive-first by NADAC. Therapeutic-equivalence (AB) ratings come from the FDA Orange Book; biologics use the FDA Purple Book for biosimilar & interchangeable status.
⏳ Availability & generic status
🏛️
1994
On the market since
Jul 1994
📍
2026
Currently FDA-listed
32 years listed
🔓
·
Generic on the market
this product is a generic
✅This is a generic drug
This product is an FDA-approved generic. Other versions of the same drug are listed under Therapeutic equivalents, least expensive first.
Where does this data come from?
Patents and exclusivity from the FDA Orange Book (small-molecule drugs), refreshed from public FDA data. Generic launch timing is an estimate, not a guarantee.
🗺️ Medicaid utilization & spend
📍 This exact package only: Medicaid data is reported per full 11-digit NDC — labeler, product and pack size — so every number here is for 24208-0910-55, not the drug overall. Other pack sizes report separately.
💊 Pharmacy benefit only: These are Medicaid outpatient pharmacy claims, billed by NDC. They exclude the medical benefit — clinic- or hospital-administered drugs billed under HCPCS J-codes — so drugs used mostly that way (e.g. Avastin, Lucentis, Keytruda) can look low or missing here. That’s expected, not an error.
📅 Q1 2025 – Q4 2025 · 4 quarters of data
ⓘ The newest quarter is usually incomplete when first published; states restate recent quarters in later CMS releases, so the latest figures typically revise upward. State coverage-policy changes can also shift quarter-to-quarter totals.
Prescriptions last 4 qtrs
565.3K
Units reimbursed last 4 qtrs
2.1M
Gross reimbursed last 4 qtrs
$9.62M
Avg / prescription
$17.01
Avg / unit
$4.6484
Latest quarter Q4 2025
126.7KRx
Medicaid pays / g
$4.6484
gross reimbursed
vs
NADAC / g
$2.8339
acquisition cost
=
Spread
+$1.8145
+64% vs cost
What Medicaid paid per g (before rebates; includes the pharmacy’s dispensing fee) compared with NADAC — the average price pharmacies pay to buy the drug. A positive spread means Medicaid reimbursed more than the purchase price, before manufacturer rebates.
Fee-for-service vs managed care ⓘ
45% FFS55% MCO
Fee-for-service · 255,288 Rx Managed care · 310,010 Rx
State Medicaid map
Units reimbursed · per 100k residents
1491,358
gray = no data reported ⓘ
Colors are per 100,000 residents, so big states don’t automatically dominate. Tap or hover a state for its actual totals.
Tap or hover a state
…for its Medicaid breakdown
Prescriptions—
Units—
Reimbursed—
🏆 Top states by units · per 100k residents
1New York1,358 /100k
2Massachusetts1,182 /100k
3Rhode Island1,181 /100k
4California1,070 /100k
5Maryland1,037 /100k
6D.C.997 /100k
7Connecticut874 /100k
8Alaska855 /100k
National units — by quarter
💵 About the dollar figures: “reimbursed” is what Medicaid paid pharmacies before confidential manufacturer rebates, so the program’s real net cost is lower than these numbers. Fee-for-service and managed-care claims are combined unless split above. Source: CMS State Drug Utilization Data; per-100k rates use 2023 Census population estimates.
💊 Medicaid utilization by pack size
Medicaid (SDUD) totals over the four most recent reported quarters for every package size of this drug — handy when a specific package (e.g. a starter/titration pack) carries little or no Medicaid volume on its own.
Drug total (last 4 qtrs): 570,751 Rx · 2,086,648 units · $9,730,136 gross reimbursed
Tap a pack size to open its page. Source: CMS State Drug Utilization Data, last 4 quarters.
📊 Medicare Part D spend CMS · PART D · 2026 (Q1)
Medicare Part D (outpatient prescription) spending for Erythromycin — the program that covers self-administered drugs. 12 manufacturers.
⚠️ Drug-level data: CMS publishes Part D spending by drug, not by NDC — these figures combine every manufacturer, strength and package size sold under the name Erythromycin. That’s a different level of aggregation than the Medicaid card above, which is specific to this exact 11-digit NDC (pack size included), so the two aren’t directly comparable.
Period
Total Part D spend
$6.84M
Claims incl. refills
399.1K
Beneficiaries
329.3K
Spend / beneficiary
$20.78
Spend / claim
$17.15
Trend by period
💵 About the dollar figures: spending is what Part D plans paid before confidential manufacturer rebates, so the program’s real net cost is lower. A blank patient count means fewer than 11 people — CMS hides counts that small to protect privacy. Source: CMS Medicare Quarterly Part D Spending by Drug (data.cms.gov), updated quarterly.
1 TUBE in 1 CARTON (24208-910-55) / 3.5 g in 1 TUBE
$2.83 / g
$9.92
1994-07-29
Active
This pack has the lowest per-g cost of the 2 priced pack sizes ($2.83 NADAC).
In Medicaid, this is the most-dispensed pack of this product — about 99% of fills over the last four reported quarters. See all packs ↓
Pack size FAQ
What quantity is in NDC 24208-0910-55?
NDC 24208-0910-55 contains 1 tube — 1 tube in 1 carton / 3.5 g in 1 tube.
What is the difference between NDC 24208-0910-55 and NDC 24208-0910-19?
Both are Erythromycin 5 mg/g Ointment — the drug itself is identical. NDC 24208-0910-55 is the 1 tube package, while NDC 24208-0910-19 is the 50 tubes package. Per-g NADAC also differs: $2.83 here vs $6.72 for the 50 tubes pack.
What NDC number is used to bill for this package of Erythromycin 5 mg/g Ointment?
Bill NDC 24208-0910-55 — the 11-digit billing format is 24208091055. Pharmacy and medical claims use the 11-digit form; the FDA label may print a shorter form of the same code.
Prices are the latest CMS NADAC pharmacy acquisition cost per NDC; per-pack figures are per-unit × pack quantity, shown only when the pack is denominated in the same measure NADAC prices.
📄 Full prescribing information FDA SPL
The complete FDA label for this product — the official prescribing information, verbatim, section by section. Jump with a chip, search within the label, or expand everything.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE For the treatment of superficial ocular infections involving the conjunctiva and/or cornea caused by organisms susceptible to erythromycin. For prophylaxis of ophthalmia neonatorum due to N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis . The effectiveness of erythromycin in the prevention of ophthalmia caused by penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae is not established.
For infants born to mothers with clinically apparent gonorrhea, intravenous or intramuscular injections of aqueous crystalline penicillin G should be given: a single dose of 50,000 units for term infants or 20,000 units for infants of low birth weight. Topical prophylaxis alone is inadequate for these infants.
⏱️Dosage and Administration83 words▾
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION In the treatment of superficial ocular infections, erythromycin ophthalmic ointment approximately 1 cm in length should be applied directly to the infected eye(s) up to six times daily, depending on the severity of the infection. For prophylaxis of neonatal gonococcal or chlamydial ophthalmia, a ribbon of ointment approximately 1 cm in length should be instilled into each lower conjunctival sac. The ointment should not be flushed from the eye following instillation.
A new tube should be used for each infant.
⛔Contraindications14 words▾
CONTRAINDICATIONS This drug is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to erythromycin.
🤒Adverse Reactions34 words▾
ADVERSE REACTIONS The most frequently reported adverse reactions are minor ocular irritations, redness, and hypersensitivity reactions. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Bausch & Lomb Incorporated at 1-800-553-5340 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
🧬Clinical Pharmacology79 words▾
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Microbiology Erythromycin inhibits protein synthesis without affecting nucleic acid synthesis. Erythromycin is usually active against the following organisms in vitro and in clinical infections: Streptococcus pyogenes (group A β-hemolytic), Alpha-hemolytic streptococci (viridans group); Staphylococcus aureus, including penicillinase-producing strains (methicillin-resistant staphylococci are uniformly resistant to erythromycin); Streptococcus pneumoniae; Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Eaton Agent, PPLO); Haemophilus influenzae (not all strains of this organism are susceptible at the erythromycin concentrations ordinarily achieved); Treponema pallidum; Corynebacterium diphtheriae; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Chlamydia trachomatis .
📦How Supplied / Storage and Handling92 words▾
HOW SUPPLIED Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment USP, 0.5% is available in the following sizes: 3.5 g (1/8 oz) in a tamper-resistant tube – NDC 24208-910-55 1 g in a tamper-resistant tube (1 carton of 50 tubes) – NDC 24208-910-19 Storage: Store between 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F). Keep out of reach of children. Distributed by: Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
DESCRIPTION Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment, USP belongs to the macrolide group of antibiotics. The sterile ophthalmic ointment flows freely over the conjunctiva. Erythromycin base, as crystals or powder, is slightly soluble in water, moderately soluble in ether, and readily soluble in alcohol or chloroform.
Erythromycin is an antibiotic produced from a strain of Streptomyces erythraeus . It is basic and readily forms a salt when combined with an acid. It has the following structural formula: Molecular Formula: C 37 H 67 NO 13 Mol.
Wt. 733.94 Chemical Name: ((3R ● ,4S ● ,5S ● ,6R ● ,7R ● ,9R ● ,11R ● ,12R ● ,13S ● ,14R ● )-4-[(2,6-dideoxy-3- C -methyl-3- 0 -methyl-α-L- ribo -hexopyranosyl)oxy]-14-ethyl-7,12,13-trihydroxy-3,5,7,9,11,13-hexamethyl-6-[[3,4,6-trideoxy-3-(dimethylamino)- β -D- xylo -hexopyranosyl] oxy]oxacyclotetradecane-2,10-dione) Each gram contains: Active: erythromycin USP, 5 mg (0.5%); Inactives: mineral oil and white petrolatum. ChemStructure
No label section mentions that — try another word, or open the full label on DailyMed below.
Glossary — plain-language definitions of medical terms used in this label:
contraindicated: Should not be used in that situation, because the risk is considered too high.
in vitro: In a laboratory dish or test tube rather than in a living person or animal; results may not carry over to people.
Adverse Reactions: Unwanted or harmful effects that people experienced while taking a medicine, listed on its official label.
Clinical Pharmacology: The label section explaining how a medicine works in the body and how the body processes it.
Contraindications: A list of situations or health conditions in which a medicine should not be used because the chance of harm is too high.
Dosage and Administration: The label section explaining how much of a medicine to use and how to take or give it.
hypersensitivity: An overreaction of the body's defense system to a substance, causing symptoms such as rash, swelling, or trouble breathing.
Indications and Usage: The label section stating which medical conditions the FDA has officially approved the medicine to treat, prevent, or manage.
intramuscular: An injection given deep into a muscle; often written as IM.
intravenous: Given directly into a vein through a needle or thin tube; often written as IV.
NDC: A unique number that identifies a specific medicine, its maker, strength, and package size.
neonatal: Relating to a newborn baby during its first four weeks of life.
prophylaxis: Treatment given to prevent an infection or illness before it starts, rather than to treat one that is already present.
topical: Applied onto the skin, eyes, or another body surface to work mainly where it is placed.
Source: FDA Structured Product Labeling, mirrored from DailyMed / openFDA.
Prefer the government’s original formatting? View this label on DailyMed ↗
For educational and professional reference only — not medical advice. Pricing reflects published
NADAC and CMS ASP (free public data) and may differ from your acquisition cost; always verify before billing or dispensing.
