Prescription medicine
Mepivacaine Brand names: Polocaine, Polocaine-Mpf, Scandonest, Carbocaine
Mepivacaine (Carbocaine) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1960. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 12 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the mepivacaine FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 29, 2025, Septodont, Inc.); the NDA 12125 record on Drugs@FDA; every mepivacaine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of May 29, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageMepivacaine is indicated for production of local anesthesia for dental procedures by infiltration or nerve block in adults and pediatric patients.
Forms and strengths
- 10 mg/ml
- 15 mg/ml
- 20 mg/ml
- 30 mg/ml
Injection (solution).
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 6, 1960 Carbocaine, Eastman Kodak; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 14 first October 17, 1972; 6 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 12 of which 12 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)
- 5 since 2020 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest October 31, 2025
- FAERS reports
- 1,144 through July 30, 2026
What is mepivacaine used for?
From the label: indications and usageMepivacaine is indicated for production of local anesthesia for dental procedures by infiltration or nerve block in adults and pediatric patients.
FDA pharmacologic class: Amide Local Anesthetic.
Source: FDA drug label (Scandonest 3% Plain), ANDA088387 (Deproco), as published by Septodont, Inc., effective May 29, 2025 (SPL set af6ff5f6-7221-421b-9b7c-8fcee4a47772), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for mepivacaine (Carbocaine)?
The FDA approved the first generic mepivacaine on October 17, 1972. 14 generic applications are approved; 6 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 mepivacaine from 12 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.
- 1960 earliest approval on file
- 1972 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
Has mepivacaine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 5 recalls naming mepivacaine since 2020: 0 Class I (the most serious), 4 Class II, 1 Class III; 4 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31, 2025 | Class II | Novocol Pharmaceutical of Canada, Inc. | Defective container: cracked/broken cartridges |
| November 20, 2020 | Class III | Novocol Pharmaceutical of Canada, Inc. | Labeling: Label mix-up |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the mepivacaine label say about other medicines?
The mepivacaine label names 25 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 11 other medicines name mepivacaine. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Acetaminophen | drug interactions | Class: Other drugs; Examples: acetaminophen, metoclopramide, quinine, sulfasalazine |
| Benzocaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
| Bupivacaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
| Chloroquine | drug interactions | Class: Antimalarials; Examples: chloroquine, primaquine |
| Cyclophosphamide | drug interactions | Class: Antineoplastic Agents; Examples: cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase |
| Dapsone | drug interactions | Class: Antibiotics; Examples: dapsone, nitrofurantoin, para-aminosalicylic acid, sulfonamides |
| Flutamide | drug interactions | Class: Antineoplastic Agents; Examples: cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase |
| Hydroxyurea | drug interactions | Class: Antineoplastic Agents; Examples: cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase |
| Ifosfamide | drug interactions | Class: Antineoplastic Agents; Examples: cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase |
| Lidocaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
| Methylene blue | warnings | If methemoglobinemia does not respond to administration of oxygen, a more severe clinical presentation may require treatment with methylene blue, exchange transfusion, or hyperbaric oxygen. |
| Metoclopramide | drug interactions | Class: Other drugs; Examples: acetaminophen, metoclopramide, quinine, sulfasalazine |
| Nitric oxide | drug interactions | Class: Nitrates/Nitrites; Examples: nitric oxide, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, nitrous oxide |
| Nitrofurantoin | drug interactions | Class: Antibiotics; Examples: dapsone, nitrofurantoin, para-aminosalicylic acid, sulfonamides |
Every other medicine the mepivacaine label names
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Nitroglycerin | drug interactions | Class: Nitrates/Nitrites; Examples: nitric oxide, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, nitrous oxide |
| Nitrous oxide | drug interactions | Class: Nitrates/Nitrites; Examples: nitric oxide, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, nitrous oxide |
| Phenobarbital | drug interactions | Class: Anticonvulsants; Examples: phenobarbital, phenytoin, sodium valproate |
| Phenytoin | drug interactions | Class: Anticonvulsants; Examples: phenobarbital, phenytoin, sodium valproate |
| Prilocaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
| Primaquine | drug interactions | Class: Antimalarials; Examples: chloroquine, primaquine |
| Quinine | drug interactions | Class: Other drugs; Examples: acetaminophen, metoclopramide, quinine, sulfasalazine |
| Rasburicase | drug interactions | Class: Antineoplastic Agents; Examples: cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase |
| Ropivacaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
| Sulfasalazine | drug interactions | Class: Other drugs; Examples: acetaminophen, metoclopramide, quinine, sulfasalazine |
| Tetracaine | drug interactions | Class: Local anesthetics; Examples: articaine, benzocaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine, procaine, ropivacaine, tetracaine |
Source: FDA drug label (Scandonest 3% Plain), ANDA088387 (Deproco), as published by Septodont, Inc., effective May 29, 2025 (SPL set af6ff5f6-7221-421b-9b7c-8fcee4a47772), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for mepivacaine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,144 reports that list mepivacaine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 46 are coded as a death and 380 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 amide local anesthetics
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Mepivacaine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other