Prescription medication · Rho Kinase Inhibitor (Ophthalmic)

netarsudil

Also sold as Rhopressa. Rhopressa is used to lower high pressure inside the eye.

Data updated 2026-05-15

1,797
FDA reportsRarely reported
$124.50
Brand price (NADAC)

netarsudil (Rhopressa) is a prescription Rho Kinase Inhibitor (Ophthalmic). Rhopressa is used to lower high pressure inside the eye.

Rhopressa is an eye drop medicine. It helps lower pressure in the eye.

Drug Pricing (NADAC)

Brand Price

$124.50/unit

Generic Available

No

ALCON LABS INC

Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →

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What it does

Rhopressa is used to lower high pressure inside the eye.

Common side effects

Eye redness (53%), Corneal verticillata (20%), Pain where the drop is applied (20%)

Key warnings

Some patients have developed swelling of the cornea while using Rhopressa.

The sections below are summarized in plain English from netarsudil's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.

How It Works

Rhopressa belongs to a class of drugs called Rho kinase inhibitors. It works by helping fluid drain better from the eye. This lowers the pressure inside the eye.

Side Effects (from patient reports)

Based on 1,797 FDA adverse event reports.

Most-reported reactions

Adverse reactions in FAERS for netarsudil, by number of reports

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.

Source FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) As of 2025

Reports over time

Adverse-event reports filed for netarsudil each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

0100200300400500 201720182019202020212022202320242025 226

Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.

Where netarsudil sits

netarsudil has more FDA adverse-event reports than 11% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.

fewest reports most reports

Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is netarsudil; the line is the median (50th percentile).

FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis

Detailed analysis of 1,797 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2017–2025.

Total Reports

1,797

Reports Mentioning Death

56

3.1% of reports — not proof of cause

Hospitalization Reports

97

Top Indication

Glaucoma

Gender Distribution

Female 805 (61%)
Male 511 (39%)

Age Distribution

0–17 24
18–44 27
45–64 160
65–74 194
75+ 326

Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)

# Reaction Reports
1 CONJUNCTIVAL HYPERAEMIA 244
2 VISION BLURRED 149
4 EYE PAIN 134
5 OCULAR HYPERAEMIA 133
6 EYE IRRITATION 109
7 CORNEAL OEDEMA 95
8 INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE INCREASED 88
9 VISUAL ACUITY REDUCED 88
10 LACRIMATION INCREASED 87
13 EYE PRURITUS 64
14 CORNEA VERTICILLATA 59
15 HEADACHE 53
16 DEATH 49
17 FATIGUE 43
18 VISUAL IMPAIRMENT 42

Reactions in Death Reports

DEATH 49
ACUTE MYELOID LEUKAEMIA 3
ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE 1
AGITATION 1
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS 1
BLOOD CHLORIDE DECREASED 1
BLOOD CREATININE DECREASED 1
BLOOD GLUCOSE DECREASED 1
BLOOD POTASSIUM DECREASED 1
BLOOD SODIUM DECREASED 1

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

PLEURAL EFFUSION 10
FATIGUE 8
FALL 7
GENERALISED OEDEMA 7
NAUSEA 6
CARDIAC FAILURE CONGESTIVE 5
DEATH 5
DIARRHOEA 5
CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT 4
CONSTIPATION 4

Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation

Serious Warnings

Some patients have developed swelling of the cornea while using Rhopressa. Tell your doctor if you have eye pain or vision changes. Using multi-dose bottles of eye drops can sometimes cause bacterial infections of the cornea.

Common Questions

What if I wear contact lenses?
Take your contacts out before using Rhopressa. You can put them back in 15 minutes after using the drops.
Can I use Rhopressa more than once a day?
No, using Rhopressa twice a day is not recommended.
What should I do if my eyes get irritated?
Tell your doctor if you have eye pain or vision changes.
How long does Rhopressa take to work?
Corneal verticillata has been seen after 4 weeks of daily use.
Is Rhopressa safe for children?
The safety and effectiveness of Rhopressa in children under 18 years old has not been studied.
Can elderly patients use Rhopressa?
Yes, there are no known differences in safety or effectiveness between elderly and younger adults.
What is the strength of Rhopressa?
Each milliliter of Rhopressa contains 0.2 mg of netarsudil.
What if the bottle is left at room temperature during shipping?
The bottle can be kept at room temperature (up to 104°F) for up to 14 days during shipping.
What is corneal verticillata?
Corneal verticillata is a change in the cornea that does not usually affect vision.
What if I use too much Rhopressa?
Using too much Rhopressa is not recommended. Use one drop in the affected eye(s) once daily in the evening.
What are the common side effects of netarsudil?
The registry lists Eye redness (53%), Corneal verticillata (20%), Pain where the drop is applied (20%), Bleeding in the eye (20%) among the most-reported FAERS reaction terms for netarsudil. The compiled record contains 1,797 FDA adverse-event reports. These counts are not an individual symptom assessment.
What drug class is netarsudil?
netarsudil belongs to the Rho Kinase Inhibitor (Ophthalmic) drug class. It requires a prescription (Rx). Rhopressa is used to lower high pressure inside the eye.
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for netarsudil?
The FDA label for netarsudil contains product-specific pregnancy or breastfeeding language. PlainMeds does not apply that source text to an individual.

Other drugs grouped near netarsudil - same-class peers and common alternatives.

Compare netarsudil vs aflibercept side-by-side →

Compare beyond drug class

Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share

Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for netarsudil: 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.

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What the FDA Data Shows for netarsudil

The FDA label for netarsudil (sold under brand names such as Rhopressa) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Rho Kinase Inhibitor (Ophthalmic) class. Rhopressa is used to lower high pressure inside the eye. Official labeling lists 4 commonly reported side effects, including Eye redness (53%), Corneal verticillata (20%), Pain where the drop is applied (20%).

Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 1,797 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS.

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: January 20, 2026

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.

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