Prescription and over-the-counter medicine
Brimonidine Brand names: Lumify, Alphagan, Mirvaso
Brimonidine (Lumify) is a prescription and over-the-counter medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1996. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 14 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $9.06 per mL (Brimonidine tartrate 0.1% drop) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the brimonidine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 24, 2025, Micro Labs Limited); the NDA 20613 record on Drugs@FDA; every brimonidine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of July 24, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageBrimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.2% is indicated for lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Forms and strengths
- 2 mg
- 0.25 mg/ml
- 1 mg/ml
- 1.5 mg/ml
- 2 mg/ml
- 5 mg/g
Solution/ drops; gel; solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 6, 1996 Alphagan, Allergan; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 22 first May 28, 2003; 21 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 17 of which 14 under generic applications, 4 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- July 14, 2030 Lumify solution/drops; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $9.06 per mL Brimonidine tartrate 0.1% drop
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 4 since 2020 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest March 1, 2023
- FAERS reports
- 17,837 through July 30, 2026
What is brimonidine used for?
From the label: indications and usageBrimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.2% is indicated for lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The IOP lowering efficacy of brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution diminishes over time in some patients. This loss of effect appears with a variable time of onset in each patient and should be closely monitored. Brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.2% is an alpha adrenergic agonist indicated for lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Conditions named in the indications of brimonidine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
FDA pharmacologic class: alpha-Adrenergic Agonist.
Source: FDA drug label (Brimonidine tartrate), Micro Labs Limited, effective July 24, 2025 (SPL set 75c5f708-1afb-4505-94a6-a2c0afb0aedc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for brimonidine (Lumify)?
The FDA approved the first generic brimonidine on May 28, 2003. 22 generic applications are approved; 21 of them carry 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 brimonidine from 14 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 5 patents for Lumify solution/drops, the last expiring on July 14, 2030; a patent listed only for Mirvaso gel runs to June 13, 2031. 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
- 2003 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 brimonidine (Lumify)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $9.06 per mL (Brimonidine tartrate 0.1% drop), down 41% from $15.32 on October 8, 2025. The survey records the price, not the reason for a change; large moves often follow a new generic or a list-price change. Prices per unit in the table differ many-fold by strength, form and brand, so compare like with like. 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.
- Brimonidine tartrate 0.1% drop (generic)
- Alphagan p 0.1% drops (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brimonidine 0.2% eye drop | Generic | $0.579 per mL | n/a | +4% |
| Brimonidine 0.33% gel pump | Generic | $13.93 per gram | n/a | -2% |
| Brimonidine tartrate 0.1% drop | Generic | $9.06 per mL | n/a | -41% |
| Brimonidine tartrate 0.15% drp | Generic | $10.54 per mL | n/a | -19% |
| Alphagan p 0.1% drops | Brand | $37.27 per mL | n/a | -0.2% |
| Alphagan p 0.15% eye drops | Brand | $39.81 per mL | n/a | -0.3% |
| Lumify 0.025% eye drop | Brand | $2.71 per mL | n/a | -0.4% |
| Mirvaso 0.33% gel pump | Brand | $21.47 per gram | n/a | +0.7% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has brimonidine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 4 recalls naming brimonidine since 2020: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 3 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 1, 2023 | Class II | Apotex Corp. | Lack of sterility assurance: Cracks have developed in some of the units caps of Brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution bottles. … |
| June 4, 2020 | Class III | SOMERSET THERAPEUTICS LLC | Failed Impurities/Degradation Specification: There is a slow leaching process from the product label on the bottle which may impact the product over the shelf … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the brimonidine label say about other medicines?
The brimonidine label names 2 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Benzalkonium | warnings and precautions | The preservative in brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution, benzalkonium chloride, may be absorbed by soft contact lenses. |
| Clonidine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Antihypertensives/cardiac glycosides may lower blood pressure. ( 7.1 ) Use with CNS depressants may result in an additive or potentiating effect. ( 7.2 ) Tricyclic antidepressants may potentially blunt the hypotensive effect of systemic clonidine. … |
Source: FDA drug label (Brimonidine tartrate), Micro Labs Limited, effective July 24, 2025 (SPL set 75c5f708-1afb-4505-94a6-a2c0afb0aedc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for brimonidine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 17,837 reports that list brimonidine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 753 are coded as a death and 3,057 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 rose sharply in 2020 (4,181, against a median of 1,073 a year): FAERS counts follow reporting, which news, litigation and label changes can drive, not how often a reaction happens.
Reports received each year
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 brimonidine?
15 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as brimonidine or labeled mainly for the same use (glaucoma), the same class first. Glaucoma lists all 20 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 (ophthalmic) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timolol | Glaucoma | 21 labelers | $0.774 per mL 0.5% eye drops | No current entry |
| Bimatoprost | Glaucoma | 13 labelers | $6.97 per mL 0.03% eye drops | No current entry |
| Dorzolamide and timolol | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $0.893 per mL Dorzolamide-timolol eye drops | No current entry |
| Latanoprost | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $1.58 per mL 0.005% eye drops | No current entry |
| Travoprost | Glaucoma | 11 labelers | $9.07 per mL 0.004% eye drop | A presentation being discontinued |
| Dorzolamide | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $0.835 per mL 2% eye drops | No current entry |
| Pilocarpine | Glaucoma | 2 labelers | $2.81 per mL 2% eye drops | A presentation being discontinued |
| Brinzolamide | Glaucoma | 4 labelers | $9.00 per mL 1% eye drops | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as brimonidine
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does brimonidine compare with medicines for the same use?
4 side-by-side pages set brimonidine beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to brimonidine
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Other alpha-adrenergic agonists
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Brimonidine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other