Prescription medicine
Brimonidine and brinzolamide Brand names: Simbrinza
Brimonidine and brinzolamide (Simbrinza) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 2013. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $26.04 per mL (Simbrinza 1%-0.2% eye drop) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- No generic listed
Check it at the source: the brimonidine and brinzolamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 11, 2025, Alcon Laboratories, Inc.); the NDA 204251 record on Drugs@FDA; every brimonidine and brinzolamide label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of March 11, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageSIMBRINZA (brinzolamide/brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic suspension) 1%/0.2% is a fixed combination of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor and an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Forms and strengths
- 10 mg/ml / 2 mg/ml
Suspension/ drops.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 19, 2013 Simbrinza, Alcon Labs Inc; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 1 of which 0 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- October 30, 2030 Simbrinza suspension/drops; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $26.04 per mL Simbrinza 1%-0.2% eye drop
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 4,140 through July 30, 2026
What is brimonidine and brinzolamide used for?
From the label: indications and usageSIMBRINZA (brinzolamide/brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic suspension) 1%/0.2% is a fixed combination of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor and an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. SIMBRINZA is a combination of brinzolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, and brimonidine tartrate, an alpha adrenergic agonist, indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Conditions named in the indications of brimonidine and brinzolamide's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
FDA pharmacologic class: Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor and alpha-Adrenergic Agonist.
Source: FDA drug label (SIMBRINZA), Alcon Laboratories, Inc., effective March 11, 2025 (SPL set a49c157e-6310-0011-7b7f-e26fc1820d59), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for brimonidine and brinzolamide (Simbrinza)?
No generic brimonidine and brinzolamide is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026). Drugs@FDA also holds 1 tentative approval: the FDA found the generic approvable, but patents or exclusivity keep it from final approval for now.
The Orange Book lists 2 patents for Simbrinza suspension/drops, the last expiring on October 30, 2030. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 2013 earliest approval on file
- 2030 last listed patent
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for brimonidine and brinzolamide (Simbrinza)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $26.04 per mL (Simbrinza 1%-0.2% eye drop), up 3% from $25.30 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.
- Simbrinza 1%-0.2% eye drop (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simbrinza 1%-0.2% eye drop | Brand | $26.04 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
What does the brimonidine and brinzolamide label say about other medicines?
The brimonidine and brinzolamide 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 SIMBRINZA, benzalkonium chloride, may be absorbed by soft contact lenses. |
| Clonidine | drug interactions | Tricyclic antidepressants have been reported to blunt the hypotensive effect of systemic clonidine. |
Source: FDA drug label (SIMBRINZA), Alcon Laboratories, Inc., effective March 11, 2025 (SPL set a49c157e-6310-0011-7b7f-e26fc1820d59), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for brimonidine and brinzolamide?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 4,140 reports that list brimonidine and brinzolamide among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 149 are coded as a death and 433 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
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as brimonidine and brinzolamide?
14 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as brimonidine and brinzolamide 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorzolamide and timolol | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $0.893 per mL Dorzolamide-timolol eye drops | No current entry |
| Dorzolamide | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $0.835 per mL 2% eye drops | No current entry |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Pilocarpine | Glaucoma | 2 labelers | $2.81 per mL 2% eye drops | A presentation being discontinued |
| Tafluprost | Glaucoma | 3 labelers | $2.45 per unit 0.0015% eye drop | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as brimonidine and brinzolamide
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to brimonidine and brinzolamide
- 14 medicines for the same use
- Other carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Brimonidine and brinzolamide side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other