Prescription and over-the-counter medicine

Bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b First approved as Cortisporin

Bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b (Cortisporin) is a prescription and over-the-counter medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1957. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 1 generic labeler, and pharmacies paid $5.52 per gram (Neo-bacit-poly-hc eye ointment) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.

Generic listed

Check it at the source: the bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 2, 2025, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated); the NDA 50168 record on Drugs@FDA; every bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b label on DailyMed.

Highlights of the record

FDA label of January 2, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications and usage
Neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates, bacitracin zinc and hydrocortisone ophthalmic ointment is indicated for steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial infection exists.

Forms and strengths

3.5 mg/g / 10 mg/g

Ointment.

On the market

Earliest approval on file: March 26, 1957 Cortisporin, Monarch Pharms; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
Generic approvals: 3 first April 14, 1981; 1 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
Labelers listed (NDC): 1 of which 1 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included; 1 more under the over-the-counter monograph, without an application

Supply and safety

Pharmacy cost (NADAC): $5.52 per gram Neo-bacit-poly-hc eye ointment
Shortage (FDA): No current entry
Recalls by its makers (FDA): No recall recorded
FAERS reports: 7 through July 30, 2026

What is bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b used for?

From the label: indications and usage
Neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates, bacitracin zinc and hydrocortisone ophthalmic ointment is indicated for steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial infection exists. Ocular corticosteroids are indicated in inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, and anterior segment of the globe where the inherent risk of corticosteroid use in certain infective conjunctivitides is accepted to obtain a diminution in edema and inflammation. […]

Conditions named in the indications of bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

Bacterial infections

From other bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b labels
Bacterial infections: … inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial infection exists.

FDA pharmacologic class: Aminoglycoside Antibacterial, Corticosteroid and Polymyxin-class Antibacterial.

Source: FDA drug label (Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates, Bacitracin Zinc and Hydrocortisone), Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, effective January 2, 2025 (SPL set 3b00eb5c-dd98-467e-a883-04c37a8ecc42), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

Is there a generic for bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b (Cortisporin)?

The FDA approved the first generic bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b on April 14, 1981. 3 generic applications are approved; 1 of them carries a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.

FDA's NDC Directory lists bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b from 1 labeler under a generic (ANDA) application. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.

1957 earliest approval on file
1981 first generic approved

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

What do pharmacies pay for bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b (Cortisporin)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $5.52 per gram (Neo-bacit-poly-hc eye ointment), down 9% from $6.07 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.

Neo-bacit-poly-hc eye ointment (generic)

$9.20

$4.82

January 2024October 2026

NADAC per unit, October 7, 2026
Strength and form	Brand or generic	Pharmacy cost	30 tablets, or one pen or vial	12-month change
Neo-bacit-poly-hc eye ointment	Generic	$5.52 per gram	n/a	-9%

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

What do FAERS reports show for bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 7 reports that list bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 0 are coded as a death and 3 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

Seizure3
Asthenia2
Chills2
Dyspnoea2
Headache2
Heart Rate Increased2
Hypertension2
Middle Insomnia2

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

What else is labeled for the same conditions as bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b?

5 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b or labeled mainly for the same use (bacterial infections), the same class first. Bacterial infections lists all 51 medicines labeled for it, by any route. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.

Medicine	Shared indication	Generic labelers (ophthalmic)	Pharmacy cost	Shortage
Tobramycin	Bacterial infections	18 labelers	$1.11 per mL 0.3% eye drop	A presentation being discontinued
Gentamicin	Bacterial infections	10 labelers	$0.790 per mL 0.3% eye drop	No current entry
Ofloxacin	Bacterial infections	23 labelers	$1.24 per mL 0.3% eye drops	No current entry
Sulfacetamide	Bacterial infections	6 labelers	$1.96 per mL 10% eye drops	No current entry
Azithromycin	Bacterial infections	none listed	$98.51 per mL 1% eye drops	A presentation being discontinued

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b

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

What next?

Alternatives to bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b: 5 medicines for the same use
Other aminoglycoside antibacterials: the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
Bacitracin, hydrocortisone, neomycin and polymyxin b side effects: the label's list beside FAERS reports
Check an interaction: what two or more labels say about each other