Prescription medicine
Potassium chloride Brand names: Klor-Con, Pokonza; first approved as Slow-K
Potassium chloride (Klor-Con) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1975. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 71 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.0828 per potassium cl ER 10 mEq tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
- A presentation discontinued
Check it at the source: the potassium chloride FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 14, 2025, Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC); the NDA 17476 record on Drugs@FDA; every potassium chloride label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of July 14, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageBECAUSE OF REPORTS OF INTESTINAL AND GASTRIC ULCERATION AND BLEEDING WITH CONTROLLED-RELEASE POTASSIUM CHLORIDE PREPARATIONS, THESE DRUGS SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR THOSE PATIENTS WHO CANNOT TOLERATE OR REFUSE TO TAKE LIQUID OR EFFERVESCENT POTASSIUM PREPARATIONS OR FOR PATIENTS IN WHOM THERE IS A PROBLEM OF COMPLIANCE WITH THESE PREPARATIONS.
Forms and strengths
- 10 meq
- 20 meq
- 600 mg
- 750 mg
- 1125 mg
- 1500 mg
- 0.75 g/.79g
- 1.125 g/1.185g
- 1.5 g/1.58g
- 1.5 g/15ml
- 1.5 g/1.54g
- 1.5 g/1.77g
Extended-release tablet; film-coated extended-release tablet; solution; extended-release capsule; powder for solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 25, 1975 Slow-K, Novartis; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 98 first May 25, 1971; 62 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 78 of which 71 under generic applications, 12 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- March 7, 2039 Potassium Chloride oral solution; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0828 per tablet Potassium cl ER 10 mEq tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- None current 4 past records
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 24 since 2012 8 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest October 29, 2025; 5 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 113,262 through July 30, 2026
What is potassium chloride used for?
From the label: indications and usageBECAUSE OF REPORTS OF INTESTINAL AND GASTRIC ULCERATION AND BLEEDING WITH CONTROLLED-RELEASE POTASSIUM CHLORIDE PREPARATIONS, THESE DRUGS SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR THOSE PATIENTS WHO CANNOT TOLERATE OR REFUSE TO TAKE LIQUID OR EFFERVESCENT POTASSIUM PREPARATIONS OR FOR PATIENTS IN WHOM THERE IS A PROBLEM OF COMPLIANCE WITH THESE PREPARATIONS. For the treatment of patients with hypokalemia with or without metabolic alkalosis, in digitalis intoxication and in patients with hypokalemic familial periodic paralysis. If hypokalemia is the result of diuretic therapy, consideration should be given to the use of a lower dose of diuretic, which may be sufficient without leading to hypokalemia. […]
FDA pharmacologic class: Osmotic Laxative and Potassium Salt.
Source: FDA drug label (KLOR-CON M), Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC, effective July 14, 2025 (SPL set b89910f6-4ff5-4a62-8269-696f7c10e4f6), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for potassium chloride (Klor-Con)?
The FDA approved the first generic potassium chloride on May 25, 1971. 98 generic applications are approved; 62 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale. Drugs@FDA also holds 2 tentative approvals: the FDA found the generic approvable, but patents or exclusivity keep it from final approval for now.
FDA's NDC Directory lists potassium chloride from 71 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 12 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
The Orange Book lists no patent for Klor-Con tablets; a patent listed only for Potassium Chloride oral solution runs to March 7, 2039. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 1975 earliest approval on file
- 1971 first generic approved
- 2039 last listed patent
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for potassium chloride (Klor-Con)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0828 per Potassium cl ER 10 mEq tablet, down 4% from $0.0858 on October 8, 2025. Prices per unit in the table differ many-fold by strength, form and brand, so compare like with like. 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.
- Potassium cl ER 10 mEq tablet (generic)
- Klor-con 10 mEq tablet (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium chloride 10% (20 mEq/15 mL) oral liquid | Generic | $0.0408 per mL | n/a | +3% |
| Potassium chloride 20% (40 mEq/15 mL) oral liquid | Generic | $0.0728 per mL | n/a | +10% |
| Potassium cl 20 mEq packet | Generic | $0.624 per packet | n/a | -35% |
| Potassium cl ER 10 mEq capsule | Generic | $0.137 per capsule | $4.12 | +11% |
| Potassium cl ER 10 mEq tablet | Generic | $0.0828 per tablet | $2.48 | -4% |
| Potassium cl ER 20 mEq tablet | Generic | $0.141 per tablet | $4.22 | -4% |
| Potassium cl ER 8 mEq capsule | Generic | $0.0998 per capsule | $2.99 | -25% |
| Potassium cl ER 8 mEq tablet | Generic | $0.103 per tablet | $3.08 | -25% |
| Klor-con 10 mEq tablet | Brand | $0.121 per tablet | $3.63 | -35% |
| Klor-con 20 mEq packet | Brand | $0.470 per packet | n/a | -20% |
| Klor-con 8 mEq tablet | Brand | $0.118 per tablet | $3.54 | -43% |
| Klor-con m10 tablet | Brand | $0.133 per tablet | $3.98 | +10% |
| Klor-con m15 tablet | Brand | $0.496 per tablet | $14.88 | +41% |
| Klor-con m20 tablet | Brand | $0.142 per tablet | $4.27 | +100% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Is potassium chloride in shortage?
No potassium chloride presentation is listed as in shortage in the FDA Drug Shortage Database (read October 8, 2026); its 4 records are all marked to be discontinued, the latest updated November 21, 2025. ASHP keeps a separate shortage list, which can differ.
| Presentation | Company | Status | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium Chloride, Tablet, Extended Release, 10 meq (NDC 62037-710-01) | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | To Be Discontinued | November 21, 2025 |
| Potassium Chloride, Tablet, Extended Release, 20 meq (NDC 62037-720-01) | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | To Be Discontinued | November 21, 2025 |
| Potassium Chloride, Tablet, Extended Release, 20 meq (NDC 62037-720-05) | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | To Be Discontinued | November 21, 2025 |
| Potassium Chloride, Tablet, Extended Release, 20 meq (NDC 62037-720-10) | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | To Be Discontinued | November 21, 2025 |
Every potassium chloride presentation in the FDA shortage database
Source: FDA Drug Shortage Database via openFDA, updated October 8, 2026
Has potassium chloride been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 29 recalls naming potassium chloride since 2012: 8 Class I (the most serious), 19 Class II, 2 Class III; 10 still ongoing. 5 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of potassium chloride and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2025 | Class I | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Labeling: Label Error on Declared Strength-The overwrap label may incorrectly identify the product as POTASSIUM CHLORIDE Inj. … |
| February 13, 2025 | Class I | ICU Medical, Inc. | Labeling: Label Error on Declared Strength. Cases labeled POTASSIUM CHLORIDE 20 mEq, may contain flexible containers with overwrap mislabeled as 10 mEq. … |
| February 13, 2025 | Class I | ICU Medical, Inc. | Labeling: Label Error on Declared Strength. Overwrap labeled as Potassium Chloride Inj 10 mEq may contain flexible containers of Potassium Chloride Inj 20 mEq |
| January 30, 2025 | Class II | The Harvard Drug Group LLC dba Major Pharmaceuticals and … | Failed Dissolution Specifications. |
| June 25, 2024 | Class I | Amerisource Health Services LLC | Failed Dissolution Specifications |
| May 30, 2024 | Class I | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA | Failed Dissolution Specifications |
| May 30, 2024 | Class II | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA | CGMP Deviations |
| March 6, 2024 | Class II | B. Braun Medical Inc | Lack of assurance of sterility: pinholes, within the blue label characters on the EXCEL bag, specifically within the dotted characters on the label, resulting … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the potassium chloride label say about other medicines?
The potassium chloride label names 9 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aliskiren | warnings | Interaction with Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), spironolactone, eplerenone, or aliskiren produce potassium retention by inhibiting … |
| Amiloride | contraindications | … insufficiency, or the administration of a potassium-sparing diuretic (e.g., spironolactone, triamterene, or amiloride) [see OVERDOSAGE ]. |
| Cyclosporine | drug interactions | … risk of hyperkalemia (e.g., potassium-sparing diuretics, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, cyclosporine and tacrolimus) increases the risk of severe and potentially fatal hyperkalemia, in particular in the presence of other risk factors for hyperkalemia (see WARNINGS ). |
| Eplerenone | warnings | Interaction with Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), spironolactone, eplerenone, or aliskiren produce potassium retention by inhibiting … |
| Potassium acetate | warnings | Metabolic Acidosis Hypokalemia in patients with metabolic acidosis should be treated with an alkalinizing potassium salt such as potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, potassium acetate, or potassium gluconate. |
| Potassium citrate | warnings | Metabolic Acidosis Hypokalemia in patients with metabolic acidosis should be treated with an alkalinizing potassium salt such as potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, potassium acetate, or potassium gluconate. |
| Spironolactone | contraindications | … breakdown as in severe burns, adrenal insufficiency, or the administration of a potassium-sparing diuretic (e.g., spironolactone, triamterene, or amiloride) [see OVERDOSAGE ]. |
| Tacrolimus | drug interactions | … (e.g., potassium-sparing diuretics, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, cyclosporine and tacrolimus) increases the risk of severe and potentially fatal hyperkalemia, in particular in the presence of other risk factors for hyperkalemia (see WARNINGS ). |
| Triamterene | contraindications | … burns, adrenal insufficiency, or the administration of a potassium-sparing diuretic (e.g., spironolactone, triamterene, or amiloride) [see OVERDOSAGE ]. |
Source: FDA drug label (KLOR-CON M), Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC, effective July 14, 2025 (SPL set b89910f6-4ff5-4a62-8269-696f7c10e4f6), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for potassium chloride?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 113,262 reports that list potassium chloride among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 15,936 are coded as a death and 49,964 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 osmotic laxatives
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Potassium chloride side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Potassium chloride shortage record
- every presentation, company and date
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other