Prescription medicine
Dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b Brand names: Maxitrol, Neo
Dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b (Neo) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1963. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 10 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $1.78 per mL (Neomyc-polym-dexameth eye drop) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 31, 2024, Sandoz Inc); the NDA 50023 record on Drugs@FDA; every dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of October 31, 2024; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageFor steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial ocular infection exists.
Forms and strengths
- 1 mg/g / 3.5 mg/g
- 3.5 mg/ml / 1 mg/ml
- 3.5 mg/g / 1 mg/g
Ointment; suspension/ drops; suspension.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 6, 1963 Maxitrol, Harrow Eye; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 7 first May 22, 1984; 3 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 14 of which 10 under generic applications, 3 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $1.78 per mL Neomyc-polym-dexameth eye drop
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 2 since 2019 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest April 13, 2022
- FAERS reports
- 1,077 through July 30, 2026
What is dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b used for?
From the label: indications and usageFor steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial ocular infection exists. Ocular steroids are indicated in inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, and anterior segment of the globe where the inherent risk of steroid use in certain infective conjunctivitides is accepted to obtain a diminution in edema and inflammation. They are also indicated in chronic anterior uveitis and corneal injury from chemical, radiation or thermal burns; or penetration of foreign bodies. […]
Conditions named in the indications of dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b labelsBacterial infections: INDICATIONS AND USAGE For steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where bacterial infection or a risk of bacterial ocular infection exists.
FDA pharmacologic class: Aminoglycoside Antibacterial, Corticosteroid and Polymyxin-class Antibacterial.
Source: FDA drug label (Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Dexamethasone), Sandoz Inc, effective October 31, 2024 (SPL set 7f2e3c46-9f39-45e7-99a9-64cc4f6f649d), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b (Neo)?
The FDA approved the first generic dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b on May 22, 1984. 7 generic applications are approved; 3 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 dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b from 10 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 3 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1963 earliest approval on file
- 1984 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b (Neo)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $1.78 per mL (Neomyc-polym-dexameth eye drop), down 11% from $2.00 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.
- Neomyc-polym-dexameth eye drop (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neomyc-polym-dexamet eye ointm | Generic | $2.55 per gram | n/a | -10% |
| Neomyc-polym-dexameth eye drop | Generic | $1.78 per mL | n/a | -11% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 2 recalls naming dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b since 2019: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 1 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 13, 2022 | Class II | Mckesson Medical-Surgical Inc. Corporate Office | cGMP deviations: Temperature abuse |
| October 17, 2019 | Class III | Sandoz Inc | Labeling: Incorrect or missing package insert. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What do FAERS reports show for dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,077 reports that list dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 50 are coded as a death and 224 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 dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b?
5 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b or labeled mainly for the same use (bacterial infections), the same class first. Bacterial infections lists all 51 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 (ophthalmic) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobramycin | Bacterial infections | 18 labelers | $1.11 per mL 0.3% eye drop | A presentation being discontinued |
| Gentamicin | Bacterial infections | 10 labelers | $0.790 per mL 0.3% eye drop | No current entry |
| Ofloxacin | Bacterial infections | 23 labelers | $1.24 per mL 0.3% eye drops | No current entry |
| Sulfacetamide | Bacterial infections | 6 labelers | $1.96 per mL 10% eye drops | No current entry |
| Azithromycin | Bacterial infections | none listed | $98.51 per mL 1% eye drops | A presentation being discontinued |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b
- 5 medicines for the same use
- Other aminoglycoside antibacterials
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Dexamethasone and neomycin and polymyxin b side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other