Prescription medicine
Carteolol First approved as Cartrol
Carteolol (Cartrol) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1988. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 1 generic labeler, and pharmacies paid $1.63 per mL (Carteolol HCl 1% eye drops) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the carteolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 31, 2021, Sandoz Inc); the NDA 19204 record on Drugs@FDA; every carteolol label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 31, 2021; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageCarteolol Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution 1% has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma and intraocular hypertension.
Forms and strengths
- 10 mg/ml
Solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 28, 1988 Cartrol, Abbvie; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 3 first January 3, 2000; 1 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 1 of which 1 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $1.63 per mL Carteolol HCl 1% eye drops
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 330 through July 30, 2026
What is carteolol used for?
From the label: indications and usageCarteolol Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution 1% has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma and intraocular hypertension. It may be used alone or in combination with other intraocular pressure lowering medications.
Conditions named in the indications of carteolol's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other carteolol labelsGlaucoma: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Carteolol Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution 1% has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma and intraocular hypertension.
FDA pharmacologic class: beta-Adrenergic Blocker.
Source: FDA drug label (Carteolol Hydrochloride), Sandoz Inc, effective August 31, 2021 (SPL set 571fe550-399d-4296-835c-37aa1ab9b409), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for carteolol (Cartrol)?
The FDA approved the first generic carteolol on January 3, 2000. 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 carteolol 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.
- 1988 earliest approval on file
- 2000 first generic approved
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for carteolol (Cartrol)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $1.63 per mL (Carteolol HCl 1% eye drops), up 14% from $1.42 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.
- Carteolol HCl 1% eye drops (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carteolol HCl 1% eye drops | Generic | $1.63 per mL | n/a | +14% |
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 carteolol label say about other medicines?
The carteolol 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dobutamine | warnings | If necessary during surgery, the effects of beta-adrenergic blocking agents may be reversed by sufficient doses of such agonists as isoproterenol, dopamine, dobutamine or levarterenol (see OVERDOSAGE ). |
| Isoproterenol | warnings | If necessary during surgery, the effects of beta-adrenergic blocking agents may be reversed by sufficient doses of such agonists as isoproterenol, dopamine, dobutamine or levarterenol (see OVERDOSAGE ). |
Source: FDA drug label (Carteolol Hydrochloride), Sandoz Inc, effective August 31, 2021 (SPL set 571fe550-399d-4296-835c-37aa1ab9b409), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for carteolol?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 330 reports that list carteolol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 27 are coded as a death and 149 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
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as carteolol?
18 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as carteolol 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 |
| Dorzolamide and timolol | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $0.893 per mL Dorzolamide-timolol eye drops | No current entry |
| Brimonidine and timolol | Glaucoma | 14 labelers | $2.15 per mL 0.2%-0.5% | No current entry |
| Betaxolol | Glaucoma | none listed | $8.97 per mL 0.5% eye drop | No current entry |
| Levobunolol | Glaucoma | 1 labeler | $2.82 per mL 0.5% eye drops | No current entry |
| Brimonidine | Glaucoma | 12 labelers | $9.06 per mL 0.1% drop | 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 |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to carteolol
- 18 medicines for the same use
- Other beta blockers
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Carteolol side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other