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Over-the-counter medicine

Fexofenadine Brand names: Allegra

Fexofenadine (Allegra) is an over-the-counter medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1996. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 101 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.230 per fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.

  • Generic listed
  • Over the counter

Check it at the source: the fexofenadine FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 15, 2026, Granules India Ltd); the NDA 20625 record on Drugs@FDA; every fexofenadine label on DailyMed.

Highlights of the record

FDA label of June 15, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications and usage

(S) temporarily relieves these symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: runny nose itchy, water eyes sneezing itching of the nose or throat

Forms and strengths

  • 30 mg
  • 60 mg
  • 180 mg
  • 30 mg/5ml

Tablet; film-coated tablet; suspension; coated tablet; coated capsule.

On the market

Earliest approval on file
July 25, 1996 Allegra, Chattem Sanofi; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
Generic approvals
20 first July 13, 2005; 15 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
Labelers listed (NDC)
104 of which 101 under generic applications, 4 under brand applications, repackagers included; 1 more under the over-the-counter monograph, without an application
Last listed patent
August 2, 2030 Children'S Allegra Allergy oral suspension; not a generic launch date

Supply and safety

Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
$0.230 per tablet Fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tablet
Shortage (FDA)
No current entry
Recalls by its makers (FDA)
21 since 2013 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest June 1, 2026; 4 more by firms not listed as its makers
FAERS reports
40,772 through July 30, 2026

What is fexofenadine used for?

From the label: indications and usage

(S) temporarily relieves these symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: runny nose itchy, water eyes sneezing itching of the nose or throat

Conditions named in the indications of fexofenadine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

From other fexofenadine labels

Allergies: Use(s) Allergy temporarily relieves these symptoms due to hay fever or otherupper respiratory allergies: runny nose itchy, watery eyes sneezing itching of the nose or throat Hives reduces hives and relieves itching due to hives (urticaria).

FDA pharmacologic class: Histamine-1 Receptor Antagonist.

Source: FDA drug label (Fexofenadine Hydrochloride), Granules India Ltd, effective June 15, 2026 (SPL set 3151bc6d-b40b-4200-a5cf-e57b6791d92a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

Is there a generic for fexofenadine (Allegra)?

The FDA approved the first generic fexofenadine on July 13, 2005. 20 generic applications are approved; 15 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale. Drugs@FDA also holds 2 tentative approvals: the FDA found the generic approvable, but patents or exclusivity keep it from final approval for now.

FDA's NDC Directory lists fexofenadine from 101 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 4 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.

The Orange Book lists no patent for Allegra oral suspension; a patent listed only for Children'S Allegra Allergy oral suspension runs to August 2, 2030. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.

  • 1996 earliest approval on file
  • 2005 first generic approved
  • 2030 last listed patent
  • red ticks recalls

Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)

What do pharmacies pay for fexofenadine (Allegra)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.230 per Fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tablet, down 13% from $0.265 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.

  • Fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tablet (generic)
$0.284
$0.208
January 2024October 2026
NADAC per unit, October 7, 2026
Strength and formBrand or genericPharmacy cost30 tablets, or one pen or vial12-month change
Allergy relief 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Allergy rlf (fexo) 60 mg tabletGeneric$0.153 per tablet$4.59-9%
Child allergy (fexo) 30 mg/5 mLGeneric$0.119 per mLn/a+95%
Fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Fexofenadine HCl 60 mg tabletGeneric$0.153 per tablet$4.59-9%
Ft allergy (fexo) 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Gnp fexofenadine HCl 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Gs aller-ease 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Qc allergy (fexo) 180 mg tabletGeneric$0.230 per tablet$6.91-13%
Qc allergy rlf (fexo) 60 mg tabletGeneric$0.153 per tablet$4.59-9%

Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price

Has fexofenadine been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 25 recalls naming fexofenadine since 2013: 0 Class I (the most serious), 22 Class II, 3 Class III; 1 still ongoing. 4 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of fexofenadine 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.

StartedClassCompanyReason
June 1, 2026Class IIISUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INCFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications
January 18, 2024Class IISUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INCCGMP Deviations: Microbial contamination was reported in stagnant water in the duct of the manufacturing equipment.
February 9, 2023Class IIL. Perrigo CompanyFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications
August 3, 2021Class IIThe Harvard Drug GroupFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications
July 27, 2021Class IIPerrigo Company PLCFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications; Out of specification result obtained for impurity A during stability testing.
March 15, 2021Class IICardinal Health Inc.CGMP Deviations: Intermittent exposure to temperature excursion during storage.
August 29, 2019Class IIPreferred Pharmaceuticals, IncFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications
August 23, 2019Class IIAurolife Pharma, LLCFailed Impurities/Degradation Specifications

Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026

What does the fexofenadine label say about other medicines?

The fexofenadine label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 3 other medicines name fexofenadine. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.

Check fexofenadine against other medicines

Source: FDA drug label (Fexofenadine Hydrochloride), Granules India Ltd, effective June 15, 2026 (SPL set 3151bc6d-b40b-4200-a5cf-e57b6791d92a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What do FAERS reports show for fexofenadine?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 40,772 reports that list fexofenadine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,660 are coded as a death and 7,642 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.

Reports received each year

The most reported reactions

  • Drug Ineffective (a use or a product term, not a reaction)5,146
  • Fatigue1,961
  • Nausea1,895
  • Headache1,877
  • Pruritus1,743
  • Diarrhoea1,633
  • Dizziness1,624
  • Dyspnoea1,620

Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026

What else is labeled for the same conditions as fexofenadine?

11 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as fexofenadine or labeled mainly for the same use (allergies), the same class first. Allergies lists all 36 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.

MedicineShared indicationGeneric labelers (oral)Pharmacy costShortage
DiphenhydramineAllergies4 labelers$0.0185 per mL 12.5 mg/5 mLNo current entry
CetirizineAllergies164 labelers$0.0613 per tablet 10 mg tabletNo current entry
LevocetirizineAllergies53 labelers$0.0511 per tablet 5 mg tabletNo current entry
ChlorpheniramineAllergies2 labelers$0.0177 per tablet 4 mg tabletNo current entry
DesloratadineAllergies9 labelers$0.258 per tablet 5 mg tabletNo current entry
CarbinoxamineAllergies7 labelers$0.398 per tablet 4 mg tabletNo current entry
Chlorpheniramine and ibuprofen and phenylephrineAllergiesnone listedn/aNo current entry
Chlorpheniramine and ibuprofen and pseudoephedrineAllergiesnone listedn/aNo current entry

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as fexofenadine

Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)

How does fexofenadine compare with medicines for the same use?

6 side-by-side pages set fexofenadine beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.

What next?

Alternatives to fexofenadine
11 medicines for the same use
Other antihistamines
the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
Fexofenadine side effects
the label's list beside FAERS reports
Check an interaction
what two or more labels say about each other