Prescription medicine
Polymyxin b and trimethoprim First approved as Polytrim
Polymyxin b and trimethoprim (Polytrim) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1988. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 10 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.452 per mL (Polymyxin b-tmp eye drops) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the polymyxin b and trimethoprim FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 6, 2026, Bausch & Lomb Incorporated); the NDA 50567 record on Drugs@FDA; every polymyxin b and trimethoprim label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of January 6, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagePolymyxin B sulfate and trimethoprim ophthalmic solution is indicated in the treatment of surface ocular bacterial infections, including acute bacterial conjunctivitis, and blepharoconjunctivitis, caused by susceptible strains of the following microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Forms and strengths
- 1 mg/ml
Solution; solution/ drops.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 20, 1988 Polytrim, Allergan; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 4 first February 14, 1997; 4 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 10 of which 10 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.452 per mL Polymyxin b-tmp eye drops
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2022 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest April 13, 2022
- FAERS reports
- 153 through July 30, 2026
What is polymyxin b and trimethoprim used for?
From the label: indications and usagePolymyxin B sulfate and trimethoprim ophthalmic solution is indicated in the treatment of surface ocular bacterial infections, including acute bacterial conjunctivitis, and blepharoconjunctivitis, caused by susceptible strains of the following microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 1 1 Efficacy for this organism in this organ system was studied in fewer than 10 infections.
Conditions named in the indications of polymyxin b and trimethoprim's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other polymyxin b and trimethoprim labelsBacterial infections: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Polymyxin B sulfate and trimethoprim ophthalmic solution is indicated in the treatment of surface ocular bacterial infections, including acute bacterial conjunctivitis, and blepharoconjunctivitis, caused by …
FDA pharmacologic class: Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitor Antibacterial and Polymyxin-class Antibacterial.
Source: FDA drug label (Polymyxin B Sulfate and Trimethoprim), Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, effective January 6, 2026 (SPL set 87999254-1857-4d3c-817a-cb8f6a5b0cf7), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for polymyxin b and trimethoprim (Polytrim)?
The FDA approved the first generic polymyxin b and trimethoprim on February 14, 1997. 4 generic applications are approved; 4 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 polymyxin b and trimethoprim from 10 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.
- 1988 earliest approval on file
- 1997 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for polymyxin b and trimethoprim (Polytrim)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.452 per mL (Polymyxin b-tmp eye drops), down 4% from $0.471 on October 8, 2025. 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.
- Polymyxin b-tmp eye drops (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polymyxin b-tmp eye drops | Generic | $0.452 per mL | n/a | -4% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has polymyxin b and trimethoprim been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 1 recall naming polymyxin b and trimethoprim since 2022: 0 Class I (the most serious), 1 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 13, 2022 | Class II | Mckesson Medical-Surgical Inc. Corporate Office | cGMP deviations: Temperature abuse |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What do FAERS reports show for polymyxin b and trimethoprim?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 153 reports that list polymyxin b and trimethoprim among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 3 are coded as a death and 16 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
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as polymyxin b and trimethoprim?
5 other medicines are given the same way (ophthalmic) and in the same FDA class as polymyxin b and trimethoprim or labeled mainly for the same use (bacterial infections), the same class first. Bacterial infections lists all 51 medicines labeled for it, by any route. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofloxacin | Bacterial infections | 23 labelers | $1.24 per mL 0.3% eye drops | No current entry |
| Tobramycin | Bacterial infections | 18 labelers | $1.11 per mL 0.3% eye drop | A presentation being discontinued |
| Gentamicin | Bacterial infections | 10 labelers | $0.790 per mL 0.3% eye drop | No current entry |
| Sulfacetamide | Bacterial infections | 6 labelers | $1.96 per mL 10% eye drops | No current entry |
| Azithromycin | Bacterial infections | none listed | $98.51 per mL 1% eye drops | A presentation being discontinued |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Other dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor antibacterials
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Polymyxin b and trimethoprim side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other