Prescription medication · Topical Antibiotic
mupirocin
Also sold as Bactroban. Mupirocin cream treats skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 12,758
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- $0.74
- Generic price (NADAC)
mupirocin (Bactroban) is a prescription Topical Antibiotic. Mupirocin cream treats skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria.
Mupirocin cream is a topical antibiotic. It is used to treat skin infections caused by certain bacteria.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.74/unit
Generic Available
Yes (10 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: MUPIROCIN 2% CREAM
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (2 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: +14.1% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2024 | $0.7976/GM | - | 2 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.9099/GM | +14.1% | 12 |
What it does
Mupirocin cream treats skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria.
Common side effects
Headache, Rash, Nausea
Key warnings
Rarely, severe allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, hives, swelling, and widespread rash.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from mupirocin's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Mupirocin stops bacteria from growing. It does this by blocking the bacteria's ability to make proteins. This helps to clear up the infection.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 12,758 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for mupirocin, by number of reports
- Nausea
Nausea
882 reports
- Pain
Pain
877 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
765 reports
- Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration
750 reports
- Headache
Headache
712 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
648 reports
- Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
578 reports
- Rash
Rash
562 reports
- Weight Decreased
Weight Decreased
549 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
526 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for mupirocin each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where mupirocin sits
mupirocin has more FDA adverse-event reports than 44% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is mupirocin; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 12,758 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
12,758
Reports Mentioning Death
895
7.0% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
3,409
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | NAUSEA | 882 |
| 4 | PAIN | 877 |
| 6 | FATIGUE | 765 |
| 7 | MACULAR DEGENERATION | 750 |
| 8 | HEADACHE | 712 |
| 9 | DIARRHOEA | 648 |
| 10 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 578 |
| 11 | RASH | 562 |
| 12 | WEIGHT DECREASED | 549 |
| 13 | PYREXIA | 526 |
| 14 | PRURITUS | 521 |
| 15 | MALAISE | 500 |
| 16 | DYSPNOEA | 497 |
| 17 | RENAL FAILURE | 453 |
| 18 | PNEUMONIA | 435 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Rarely, severe allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, hives, swelling, and widespread rash. If you have diarrhea while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away. Long-term use may lead to new infections.
Common Questions
Can I use this cream inside my nose?
What should I do if the cream gets in my eyes?
Can I use other creams or lotions at the same time?
What if my skin gets irritated?
How long should I use this cream?
What if I accidentally swallow some of the cream?
Can I use this cream on a large area of skin?
What if I don't see any improvement after a few days?
Can I buy this cream over the counter?
What are the ingredients in this cream?
What are the common side effects of mupirocin?
What drug class is mupirocin?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for mupirocin?
Related Medications in Topical Antibiotic
Other drugs grouped near mupirocin - same-class peers and common alternatives.
adapalene
Differin
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apremilast
Otezla
Apremilast (Otezla/Otezla XR) is a medicine that can help adults and children manage psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.
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azelaic acid
Finacea, Azelex
Azelaic acid gel is a topical medicine that helps treat rosacea.
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benzoyl peroxide
Benzac, PanOxyl
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical medicine that fights germs on your skin.
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betamethasone
Diprosone, Luxiq
Betamethasone dipropionate cream is a strong steroid medicine used on the skin.
Compare with mupirocin →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for mupirocin: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 12,758.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 7.02%.
- hydrochlorothiazide Δ 0.01 pts · 140,497 reports · Thiazide Diuretic 7.03%death share
- cholestyramine Δ 0.01 pts · 11,539 reports · Bile Acid Sequestrant 7.03%death share
- brodalumab Δ 0.02 pts · 1,890 reports · Anti-IL-17 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody 7.04%death share
- insulin aspart Δ 0.05 pts · 63,536 reports · Rapid-Acting Insulin 6.96%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
Save on mupirocin
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What the FDA Data Shows for mupirocin
The FDA label for mupirocin (sold under brand names such as Bactroban) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Topical Antibiotic class. Mupirocin cream treats skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. Official labeling lists 3 commonly reported side effects, including Headache, Rash, Nausea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 12,758 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.74.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: March 18, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages