What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Coal tar and cyclosporine
Cyclosporine's FDA label of August 10, 2026 names coal tar in its boxed warning section; the coal tar label PlainMeds reads does not name cyclosporine. The cyclosporine label: “For Psoriasis Patients Psoriasis patients previously treated with PUVA and to a lesser extent, methotrexate or other immunosuppressive agents, UVB, coal tar, or radiation therapy, are at an increased risk of developing …”
Check it at the source: the coal tar FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 8, 2025); the cyclosporine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 10, 2026, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation).
What does the coal tar label say about cyclosporine?
Coal tar's label (effective December 8, 2025) does not name cyclosporine in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (therapeutic tar anti-dandruff Anti-dandruff, anti-seborrheic dermatitis, anti-psoriasis), GOODSENSE, effective December 8, 2025 (SPL set 72ab0e6b-72a5-4e8a-af44-963251b0641f), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the cyclosporine label say about coal tar?
Cyclosporine label, boxed warningFor Psoriasis Patients (see also BOXED WARNING above) Psoriasis patients previously treated with PUVA and to a lesser extent, methotrexate or other immunosuppressive agents, UVB, coal tar, or radiation therapy, are at an increased risk of developing skin malignancies when taking Neoral.
Cyclosporine label, contraindicationsPsoriasis Psoriasis patients who are treated with Neoral should not receive concomitant PUVA or UVB therapy, methotrexate or other immunosuppressive agents, coal tar or radiation therapy.
Cyclosporine label, warningsUVB and coal tar had been used by 2 and 3 patients, respectively.
Source: FDA drug label (Neoral), Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, effective August 10, 2026 (SPL set 94461af3-11f1-4670-95d4-2965b9538ae3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Coal tar | Cyclosporine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Psoriasis | Organ transplant rejection, Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.0088 per mL 0.5% shampoo | $1.04 per unit 0.05% eye emulsion |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once