Over-the-counter medicine
Phenol
Phenol is an over-the-counter medicine. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $0.0124 per mL (Gnp sore throat 1.4% spray) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the phenol FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 26, 2025); every phenol label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of September 26, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagefor the temporary relief of occasional minor irritation, pain, sore mouth and sore throat.
Forms and strengths
- 1.4 g/100ml
- 1.4 g/177ml
- 1.4 mg/100ml
- 1.4 mg/ml
- 1.5 g/100ml
- 1.5 g/100g
- 3.5 mg/.7ml
- 6 mg/ml
- 14 mg/100ml
- 15 mg/ml
Spray; liquid; salve.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 34 of which 0 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0124 per mL Gnp sore throat 1.4% spray
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 0 since 2013 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; 4 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 273 through July 30, 2026
What is phenol used for?
From the label: indications and usagefor the temporary relief of occasional minor irritation, pain, sore mouth and sore throat. Uses for the temporary relief of occasional minor irritation, pain, sore mouth and sore throat. Uses for the temporary relief of occasional minor irritation, pain, sore mouth and sore throat.
Conditions named in the indications of phenol's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
Source: FDA drug label (Chloraseptic Sore Throat Cherry), Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc., effective September 26, 2025 (SPL set d5d62f7a-8f92-4d42-a2fb-691f896f72fc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for phenol?
No generic phenol is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for phenol?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0124 per mL (Gnp sore throat 1.4% spray), down 3% from $0.0128 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Gnp sore throat 1.4% spray (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gnp sore throat 1.4% spray | Generic | $0.0124 per mL | n/a | -3% |
| Phenaseptic 1.4% spray | Generic | $0.0124 per mL | n/a | -3% |
| Qc sore throat 1.4% spray | Generic | $0.0124 per mL | n/a | -3% |
| Sore throat 1.4% spray | Generic | $0.0124 per mL | n/a | -3% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has phenol been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 4 recalls naming phenol since 2013: 0 Class I (the most serious), 4 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 4 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of phenol and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 6, 2021 | Class II | Edge Pharma, LLC not a listed maker | Lack of Assurance of Sterility |
| December 6, 2021 | Class II | Edge Pharma, LLC not a listed maker | CGMP Deviations |
| October 19, 2013 | Class II | Specialty Medicine Compounding Pharmacy not a listed maker | Lack of Assurance of Sterility: All unexpired sterile compounded human and veterinary products are being recalled because they were compounded in the same … |
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling: Label Mixup: PHENOL, LOZENGE, 29 mg may have potentially been mislabeled as one of the following drugs: ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM, Tablet, 20 mg, NDC … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What do FAERS reports show for phenol?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 273 reports that list phenol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 62 are coded as a death and 123 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as phenol?
34 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as phenol or labeled mainly for the same use (pain), the same class first. Pain lists all 80 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirin | Pain | none listed | $0.0142 per tablet 81 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Acetaminophen and hydrocodone | Pain | 38 labelers | $0.152 per tablet 10-325 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Diclofenac | Pain | 67 labelers | $0.0619 per tablet 75 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Oxycodone | Pain | 34 labelers | $0.0884 per tablet 5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Acetaminophen and oxycodone | Pain | 30 labelers | $0.183 per tablet 7.5-325 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Tramadol | Pain | 40 labelers | $0.0248 per tablet 50 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Morphine | Pain | 17 labelers | $0.226 per tablet 15 mg tablet | In shortage |
| Phenazopyridine | Pain | none listed | $0.154 per tablet 100 mg tablet | No current entry |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does phenol compare with medicines for the same use?
3 side-by-side pages set phenol beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Phenol side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other