Prescription medicine
Verteporfin Brand names: Visudyne
Verteporfin (Visudyne) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 2000. No generic is listed in FDA's NDC Directory.
- No generic listed
Check it at the source: the verteporfin FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 27, 2025, Bausch Health US LLC); the NDA 21119 record on Drugs@FDA; every verteporfin label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 27, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageVISUDYNE ® (verteporfin for injection) therapy is indicated for the treatment of patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), pathologic myopia or presumed ocular histoplasmosis.
Forms and strengths
- 15 mg
Injection (powder) (lyophilized) for solution.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 12, 2000 Visudyne, Bausch Lomb Ireland; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 2 of which 0 under generic applications, 2 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)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 1,480 through July 30, 2026
What is verteporfin used for?
From the label: indications and usageVISUDYNE ® (verteporfin for injection) therapy is indicated for the treatment of patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), pathologic myopia or presumed ocular histoplasmosis. There is insufficient evidence to indicate VISUDYNE for the treatment of predominantly occult subfoveal CNV. VISUDYNE (verteporfin for injection) therapy is a photoenhancer indicated for the treatment of patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular degeneration, pathologic myopia or presumed ocular histoplasmosis.
FDA pharmacologic class: Photoenhancer.
Source: FDA drug label (Visudyne), Bausch Health US LLC, effective August 27, 2025 (SPL set 952f4c80-50b1-4308-9ee6-311ffefb13df), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for verteporfin (Visudyne)?
No generic verteporfin is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).
- 2000 earliest approval on file
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What does the verteporfin label say about other medicines?
The verteporfin label names 3 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 1 other medicine name verteporfin. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimethyl sulfoxide | drug interactions | Compounds that quench active oxygen species or scavenge radicals, such as dimethyl sulfoxide, β-carotene, ethanol, formate and mannitol, would be expected to decrease VISUDYNE activity. |
| Griseofulvin | drug interactions | Other photosensitizing agents (e.g., tetracyclines, sulfonamides, phenothiazines, sulfonylurea hypoglycemic agents, thiazide diuretics and griseofulvin) could increase the potential for skin photosensitivity reactions. |
| Polymyxin b | drug interactions | Possible examples include the following: Calcium channel blockers, polymyxin B or radiation therapy could enhance the rate of VISUDYNE uptake by the vascular endothelium. |
Other labels that name verteporfin
Source: FDA drug label (Visudyne), Bausch Health US LLC, effective August 27, 2025 (SPL set 952f4c80-50b1-4308-9ee6-311ffefb13df), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for verteporfin?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 1,480 reports that list verteporfin among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 59 are coded as a death and 192 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?
- Verteporfin side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other