Prescription medicine
Droperidol First approved as Inapsine
Droperidol (Inapsine) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1970. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 2 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
- Boxed warning
Check it at the source: the droperidol FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 8, 2022, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); the NDA 16796 record on Drugs@FDA; every droperidol label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of June 8, 2022; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Cases of QT prolongation and/or torsade de pointes have been reported in patients receiving droperidol at doses at or below recommended doses. Some cases have occurred in patients with no known risk factors for QT prolongation and some cases have been fatal. Due to its potential for serious proarrhythmic effects and death, droperidol should be reserved for use in the treatment of patients who fail to show an acceptable response to other adequate treatments, either because of insufficient effectiveness or the inability to achieve an effective dose due to intolerable adverse effects from those drugs (see Warnings, Adverse Reactions, Contraindications, and Precautions ). Cases of QT prolongation and serious arrhythmias (e.g., torsade de pointes) have been reported in patients treated with droperidol. Based on these reports, all patients should undergo a 12-lead ECG prior to administration of droperidol to determine if a prolonged QT interval (i.e., QTc greater than 440 msec for males or 450 msec for females) is present. If there is a prolonged QT interval, droperidol should NOT be administered. For patients in whom the potential benefit of droperidol treatment is felt to outweigh the risks of potentially serious arrhythmias, ECG monitoring should be performed prior to treatment and continued for 2 to 3 hours after completing treatment to monitor for arrhythmias. […]
Used for
From the label: indications and usageDroperidol Injection, USP is indicated to reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting associated with surgical and diagnostic procedures.
Forms and strengths
- 2.5 mg/ml
Injection (solution).
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 11, 1970 Inapsine, Rising; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 12 first November 17, 1986; 2 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 2 of which 2 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- Not in the survey
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 1,613 through July 30, 2026
What is droperidol used for?
From the label: indications and usageDroperidol Injection, USP is indicated to reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting associated with surgical and diagnostic procedures.
FDA pharmacologic class: Dopamine-2 Receptor Antagonist.
Source: FDA drug label (DROPERIDOL), Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective June 8, 2022 (SPL set d89f33ac-8a6e-49e7-94fb-84e58aad65a8), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for droperidol (Inapsine)?
The FDA approved the first generic droperidol on November 17, 1986. 12 generic applications are approved; 2 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 droperidol from 2 labelers 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.
- 1970 earliest approval on file
- 1986 first generic approved
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What does the droperidol label say about other medicines?
The droperidol label names 1 other medicine in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 10 other medicines name droperidol. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dantrolene | warnings | Since it may be difficult to distinguish neuroleptic malignant syndrome from malignant hyperpyrexia in the perioperative period, prompt treatment with dantrolene should be considered if increases in temperature, heart rate or carbon dioxide production occur. |
Other labels that name droperidol
Source: FDA drug label (DROPERIDOL), Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective June 8, 2022 (SPL set d89f33ac-8a6e-49e7-94fb-84e58aad65a8), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for droperidol?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,613 reports that list droperidol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 189 are coded as a death and 686 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 next?
- Other dopamine-2 receptor antagonists
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Droperidol side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other