Prescription medicine

Ciclesonide Brand names: Alvesco, Omnaris

Ciclesonide (Alvesco) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 2006. No generic is listed; pharmacies paid $42.97 per gram (Alvesco 160 mcg inhaler) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.

No generic listed

Check it at the source: the ciclesonide FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 28, 2025, Covis Pharma US, Inc); the NDA 22004 record on Drugs@FDA; every ciclesonide label on DailyMed.

Highlights of the record

FDA label of February 28, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications and usage
ALVESCO is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.

Forms and strengths

Aerosol (metered); spray.

On the market

Earliest approval on file: October 20, 2006 Omnaris, Azurity; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing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: February 1, 2028 Alvesco aerosol; not a generic launch date

Supply and safety

Pharmacy cost (NADAC): $42.97 per gram Alvesco 160 mcg inhaler
Shortage (FDA): No current entry
Recalls by its makers (FDA): No recall recorded
FAERS reports: 13,541 through July 30, 2026

What is ciclesonide used for?

From the label: indications and usage
ALVESCO is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older. Limitations of Use: ALVESCO is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm. ALVESCO is not indicated for children under 12 years of age. ALVESCO is an inhaled corticosteroid indicated for maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older. ( 1 ) Limitations of Use: ALVESCO is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm or in pediatric patients less than 12 years of age.

Conditions named in the indications of ciclesonide's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:

From other ciclesonide labels
Allergies: OMNARIS Nasal Spray is a corticosteroid indicated for treatment of nasal symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis in adults and children 6 years of age and older and perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and adolescents 12 years …

Source: FDA drug label (Alvesco), NDA021658 (Azurity), as published by Covis Pharma US, Inc, effective February 28, 2025 (SPL set 9f6112fb-78ef-43cf-8ae3-36370eb45468), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

Is there a generic for ciclesonide (Alvesco)?

No generic ciclesonide is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).

The Orange Book lists 1 patent for Alvesco aerosol, the last expiring on February 1, 2028. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.

2006 earliest approval on file
2028 last listed patent

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

What do pharmacies pay for ciclesonide (Alvesco)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $42.97 per gram (Alvesco 160 mcg inhaler), about the same as a year earlier. 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.

Omnaris 50 mcg nasal spray (brand)

$22.64

$22.51

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
Alvesco 160 mcg inhaler	Brand	$42.97 per gram	n/a	-0.1%
Alvesco 80 mcg inhaler	Brand	$42.96 per gram	n/a	no change
Omnaris 50 mcg nasal spray	Brand	$22.55 per gram	n/a	no change

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 ciclesonide label say about other medicines?

The ciclesonide label names 5 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 11 other medicines name ciclesonide. 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
Albuterol	drug interactions	DRUG INTERACTIONS In clinical studies, concurrent administration of ciclesonide and other drugs commonly used in the treatment of asthma (albuterol, formoterol) had no effect on pharmacokinetics of des-ciclesonide [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Erythromycin	drug interactions	Erythromycin, a moderate inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A4, had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of either des-ciclesonide or erythromycin following oral inhalation of ciclesonide [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Formoterol	drug interactions	DRUG INTERACTIONS In clinical studies, concurrent administration of ciclesonide and other drugs commonly used in the treatment of asthma (albuterol, formoterol) had no effect on pharmacokinetics of des-ciclesonide [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )].
Ketoconazole	drug interactions	In a drug interaction study, co-administration of orally inhaled ciclesonide and oral ketoconazole, a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A4, increased the exposure (AUC) of des-ciclesonide by approximately 3.6-fold at steady state, while levels of ciclesonide remained unchanged.
Prednisone	warnings and precautions	Patients who have been previously maintained on 20 mg or more per day of prednisone (or its equivalent) may be most susceptible, particularly when their systemic corticosteroids have been almost completely withdrawn.

Other labels that name ciclesonide

Check ciclesonide against other medicines

What do FAERS reports show for ciclesonide?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 13,541 reports that list ciclesonide among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 622 are coded as a death and 6,094 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

Asthma (a use or a product term, not a reaction)5,858
Dyspnoea4,621
Wheezing (named in the label)3,710
Therapeutic Product Effect Incomplete (a use or a product term, not a reaction)2,598
Cough (named in the label)2,578
Obstructive Airways Disorder1,818
Loss Of Personal Independence In Daily Activities1,783
Pneumonia (named in the label)1,772

Side effects: the label's list and every FAERS reaction

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

What else is labeled for the same conditions as ciclesonide?

8 other medicines are given the same way (respiratory (inhalation)) and in the same FDA class as ciclesonide or labeled mainly for the same use (asthma), the same class first. Asthma lists all 37 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 (respiratory (inhalation))	Pharmacy cost	Shortage
Albuterol	Asthma	33 labelers	$0.0612 per mL 2.5 mg/3 mL solution	Resolved
Fluticasone and salmeterol	Asthma	8 labelers	$1.07 per unit 100-50	A presentation being discontinued
Budesonide	Asthma	13 labelers	$0.676 per mL 0.5 mg/2 mL suspension	No current entry
Budesonide and formoterol	Asthma	2 labelers	$17.26 per gram 160-4.5	No current entry
Beclomethasone	Asthma	2 labelers	$20.57 per gram 40 mcg	No current entry
Formoterol and mometasone	Asthma	none listed	$25.22 per gram 100 mcg-5 mcg inhaler	No current entry
Epinephrine	Asthma	none listed	n/a	A presentation being discontinued
Albuterol and budesonide	Asthma	none listed	$45.03 per gram 90-80 mcg inhaler	No current entry

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as ciclesonide

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

What next?

Alternatives to ciclesonide: 8 medicines for the same use
Ciclesonide side effects: the label's list beside FAERS reports
Check an interaction: what two or more labels say about each other