Prescription medicine
Calcipotriene Brand names: Sorilux, Pellix; first approved as Dovonex
Calcipotriene (Dovonex) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1993. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 6 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $1.05 per gram (Calcipotriene 0.005% cream) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the calcipotriene FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 7, 2020, Prasco Laboratories); the NDA 20273 record on Drugs@FDA; every calcipotriene label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 7, 2020; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageCalcipotriene Ointment, 0.005%, is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults.
Forms and strengths
- 0.05 mg/ml
- 0.05 mg/g
Ointment; cream; solution; aerosol (foam).
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 29, 1993 Dovonex, Leo Pharma As; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 8 first May 6, 2008; 5 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 8 of which 6 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- May 7, 2028 Sorilux aerosol; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $1.05 per gram Calcipotriene 0.005% cream
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2017 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest January 19, 2017
- FAERS reports
- 3,502 through July 30, 2026
What is calcipotriene used for?
From the label: indications and usageCalcipotriene Ointment, 0.005%, is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. The safety and effectiveness of topical calcipotriene in dermatoses other than psoriasis have not been established.
Conditions named in the indications of calcipotriene's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other calcipotriene labelsPsoriasis: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Calcipotriene Ointment, 0.005%, is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults.
FDA pharmacologic class: Vitamin D Analog.
Source: FDA drug label (calcipotriene), NDA020273 (Leo Pharma As), as published by Prasco Laboratories, effective August 7, 2020 (SPL set fe7cd92a-f066-4c4a-80c8-e3f929ad4181), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for calcipotriene (Dovonex)?
The FDA approved the first generic calcipotriene on May 6, 2008. 8 generic applications are approved; 5 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 calcipotriene from 6 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 1 brand labeler. 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 Dovonex ointment; a patent listed only for Sorilux aerosol runs to May 7, 2028. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 1993 earliest approval on file
- 2008 first generic approved
- 2028 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 calcipotriene (Dovonex)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $1.05 per gram (Calcipotriene 0.005% cream), down 15% from $1.23 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.
- Calcipotriene 0.005% cream (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calcipotriene 0.005% cream | Generic | $1.05 per gram | n/a | -15% |
| Calcipotriene 0.005% ointment | Generic | $2.21 per gram | n/a | -3% |
| Calcipotriene 0.005% solution | Generic | $2.71 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 calcipotriene been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 1 recall naming calcipotriene since 2017: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 19, 2017 | Class II | LEO PHARMA INC | Incorrect/Undeclared excipients: inadvertent omission of a drug excipient from the the Authorized Generic label and also a warning regarding contact dermatitis … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the calcipotriene label say about other medicines?
The calcipotriene label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 2 other medicines name calcipotriene. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name calcipotriene
Source: FDA drug label (calcipotriene), NDA020273 (Leo Pharma As), as published by Prasco Laboratories, effective August 7, 2020 (SPL set fe7cd92a-f066-4c4a-80c8-e3f929ad4181), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for calcipotriene?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 3,502 reports that list calcipotriene among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 66 are coded as a death and 474 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 calcipotriene?
9 other medicines are given the same way (topical) and in the same FDA class as calcipotriene or labeled mainly for the same use (psoriasis), the same class first. Psoriasis lists all 38 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 (topical) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clobetasol | Psoriasis | 40 labelers | $0.126 per gram 0.05% ointment | No current entry |
| Fluocinolone | Psoriasis | 15 labelers | $0.171 per mL 0.01% scalp oil | No current entry |
| Desoximetasone | Psoriasis | 13 labelers | $0.369 per gram 0.25% ointment | No current entry |
| Coal tar | Psoriasis | none listed | $0.0088 per mL 0.5% shampoo | No current entry |
| Halobetasol | Psoriasis | 6 labelers | $0.620 per gram 0.05% ointmnt | No current entry |
| Tazarotene | Psoriasis | 6 labelers | $6.11 per gram 0.1% gel | No current entry |
| Calcitriol | Psoriasis | none listed | n/a | A presentation being discontinued |
| Halobetasol and tazarotene | Psoriasis | none listed | n/a | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as calcipotriene
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does calcipotriene compare with medicines for the same use?
1 side-by-side page set calcipotriene beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to calcipotriene
- 9 medicines for the same use
- Other vitamin d analogs
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Calcipotriene side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other