Prescription medicine
Desoximetasone Brand names: Topicort
Desoximetasone (Topicort) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1977. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 13 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.369 per gram (Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the desoximetasone FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 12, 2026, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.); the NDA 17856 record on Drugs@FDA; every desoximetasone label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of March 12, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageTopicort ® (desoximetasone ointment USP) 0.05% is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses.
Forms and strengths
- 0.5 mg/g
- 2.5 mg/g
- 2.5 mg/ml
Ointment; cream; spray; gel.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 28, 1977 Topicort, Taro; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 34 first November 29, 1990; 26 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 13 of which 13 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- September 1, 2028 Topicort spray; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.369 per gram Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 9 since 2015 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest March 15, 2022; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 18,942 through July 30, 2026
What is desoximetasone used for?
From the label: indications and usageTopicort ® (desoximetasone ointment USP) 0.05% is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses.
Conditions named in the indications of desoximetasone's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other desoximetasone labelsPsoriasis: Desoximetasone Topical Spray is a corticosteroid indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in patients 18 years of age or older.
FDA pharmacologic class: Corticosteroid.
Source: FDA drug label (Topicort), NDA018594 (Taro), as published by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc., effective March 12, 2026 (SPL set 96dfac6f-540f-4b7d-bcee-7e62088ebc93), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the patient leaflet for desoximetasone say first?
The FDA-approved Medication Guide or Patient Information that comes with the medicine, in its own words.
From the patient leaflet: What should I avoid while using Desoximetasone Topical Spray, 0.25%?Desoximetasone Topical Spray, 0.25% is flammable. Avoid heat, flames or smoking while applying desoximetasone topical spray, 0.25% to your skin.
From the patient leaflet: How should I store Desoximetasone Topical Spray, 0.25%?Store desoximetasone topical spray, 0.25% at room temperature between 68˚F to 77˚F (20˚C to 25˚C). Throw away (discard) unused desoximetasone topical spray, 0.25% after 30 days. Keep desoximetasone topical spray, 0.25% and all medicines out of the reach of children.
Source: FDA drug label (Desoximetasone), Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective November 13, 2025 (SPL set e4b648f4-c65d-44b3-a97a-657730f65322), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for desoximetasone (Topicort)?
The FDA approved the first generic desoximetasone on November 29, 1990. 34 generic applications are approved; 26 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 desoximetasone from 13 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 2 patents for Topicort spray, the last expiring on September 1, 2028. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 1977 earliest approval on file
- 1990 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 desoximetasone (Topicort)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.369 per gram (Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment), down 27% from $0.506 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.
- Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desoximetasone 0.05% cream | Generic | $1.51 per gram | n/a | +0.5% |
| Desoximetasone 0.05% gel | Generic | $3.47 per gram | n/a | +4% |
| Desoximetasone 0.05% ointment | Generic | $1.03 per gram | n/a | -33% |
| Desoximetasone 0.25% cream | Generic | $0.398 per gram | n/a | +5% |
| Desoximetasone 0.25% ointment | Generic | $0.369 per gram | n/a | -27% |
| Desoximetasone 0.25% spray | Generic | $0.648 per mL | n/a | -15% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has desoximetasone been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 10 recalls naming desoximetasone since 2015: 0 Class I (the most serious), 7 Class II, 3 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of desoximetasone and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2022 | Class II | Teligent Pharma, Inc. | cGMP deviations: all products within expiry are being recalled because the firm is discontinuing its stability study program. |
| February 9, 2018 | Class II | American Pharmaceutical Ingredients LLC not a listed maker | CGMP Deviations: Lack of stability data and controls to support the manufacturers assigned retest or expiration date in firm's container/closure system. |
| April 7, 2017 | Class III | Teligent, Inc. | Superpotent Drug |
| November 14, 2016 | Class II | Akorn Inc | Failed Stability Specifications; out-of specification value for homogeneity / phase separation. |
| September 13, 2016 | Class II | Taro Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Failed Stability Specifications: The subject lots exhibited OOS results for Homogeneity test (Moderate separation). |
| July 27, 2016 | Class III | Akorn, Inc. | Failed impurities/degradation specifications: product was out of specification for unknown impurity at the 9 month stability time point |
| August 5, 2015 | Class III | Taro Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Failed Impurities/Degradation Specifications: Out of specification results for impurities testing was obtained at the 6 and 9 month time points. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What do FAERS reports show for desoximetasone?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 18,942 reports that list desoximetasone among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 5,061 are coded as a death and 7,098 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 desoximetasone?
11 other medicines are given the same way (topical) and in the same FDA class as desoximetasone 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 |
| Betamethasone | Psoriasis | 26 labelers | $0.418 per gram 0.05% cream | No current entry |
| Fluocinolone | Psoriasis | 15 labelers | $0.171 per mL 0.01% scalp oil | No current entry |
| Halobetasol | Psoriasis | 6 labelers | $0.620 per gram 0.05% ointmnt | No current entry |
| Betamethasone and calcipotriene | Psoriasis | 5 labelers | $1.81 per gram 0.005%-0.064% ointment | No current entry |
| Halobetasol and tazarotene | Psoriasis | none listed | n/a | No current entry |
| Coal tar | Psoriasis | none listed | $0.0088 per mL 0.5% shampoo | No current entry |
| Tazarotene | Psoriasis | 6 labelers | $6.11 per gram 0.1% gel | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as desoximetasone
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does desoximetasone compare with medicines for the same use?
2 side-by-side pages set desoximetasone beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to desoximetasone
- 11 medicines for the same use
- Other corticosteroids
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Desoximetasone side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other