Prescription medicine

Levobunolol First approved as Betagan

Levobunolol (Betagan) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1985. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 1 generic labeler, and pharmacies paid $2.82 per mL (Levobunolol 0.5% eye drops) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.

Generic listed

Check it at the source: the levobunolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 24, 2024, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated); the NDA 19219 record on Drugs@FDA; every levobunolol label on DailyMed.

Highlights of the record

FDA label of July 24, 2024; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026

Used for

From the label: indications and usage
Levobunolol hydrochloride ophthalmic solution has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Forms and strengths

5 mg/ml

Solution/ drops.

On the market

Earliest approval on file: December 19, 1985 Betagan, Allergan; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
Generic approvals: 8 first March 4, 1994; 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): $2.82 per mL Levobunolol 0.5% eye drops
Shortage (FDA): No current entry
Recalls by its makers (FDA): No recall recorded
FAERS reports: 99 through July 30, 2026

What is levobunolol used for?

From the label: indications and usage
Levobunolol hydrochloride ophthalmic solution has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

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

Glaucoma

From other levobunolol labels
Glaucoma: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Levobunolol hydrochloride ophthalmic solution has been shown to be effective in lowering intraocular pressure and may be used in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

FDA pharmacologic class: beta-Adrenergic Blocker.

Source: FDA drug label (Levobunolol Hydrochloride), Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, effective July 24, 2024 (SPL set 5ab1efbe-530b-4787-b40a-c7dbf18161e1), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

Is there a generic for levobunolol (Betagan)?

The FDA approved the first generic levobunolol on March 4, 1994. 8 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 levobunolol 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.

1985 earliest approval on file
1994 first generic approved

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

What do pharmacies pay for levobunolol (Betagan)?

In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $2.82 per mL (Levobunolol 0.5% eye drops), up 50% from $1.87 on October 8, 2025. The survey records the price, not the reason for a change; large moves often follow a new generic or a list-price change. 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.

Levobunolol 0.5% eye drops (generic)

$2.82

$1.63

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
Levobunolol 0.5% eye drops	Generic	$2.82 per mL	n/a	+50%

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 levobunolol label say about other medicines?

The levobunolol 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 ).

Check levobunolol against other medicines

Source: FDA drug label (Levobunolol Hydrochloride), Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, effective July 24, 2024 (SPL set 5ab1efbe-530b-4787-b40a-c7dbf18161e1), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What do FAERS reports show for levobunolol?

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 99 reports that list levobunolol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 5 are coded as a death and 18 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

Nausea (named in the label)12
Fatigue9
Eye Irritation8
Headache (named in the label)8
Acute Generalised Exanthematous Pustulosis7
Dizziness (named in the label)7
Iridocyclitis (named in the label)7
Diarrhoea (named in the label)6

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

What else is labeled for the same conditions as levobunolol?

18 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as levobunolol 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
Carteolol	Glaucoma	1 labeler	$1.63 per mL 1% 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

Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as levobunolol

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

What next?

Alternatives to levobunolol: 18 medicines for the same use
Other beta blockers: the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
Levobunolol side effects: the label's list beside FAERS reports
Check an interaction: what two or more labels say about each other