ADAPALENE 0.3% GEL

What it is

ADAPALENE 0.3% GEL is how the CMS NADAC file names this product. The FDA NDC Directory lists it as “adapalene” and “adapalene gel usp, 0.3%”, as its NDCs’ listings variously write the nonproprietary name.

FDA gives its dosage form as gel and its route as topical.

FDA lists 5 labelers (the companies named on the label) for its NDCs, among them Actavis Pharma, Inc., Encube Ethicals, Inc. and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.

FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is Retinoid.

The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under 5 NDCs (National Drug Codes).

NADAC classes it as a generic drug (rate-setting class G), and does not mark it as sold over the counter.

What pharmacies pay

Pharmacies pay $22.67 for 45 g (45 × $0.50376 per GM, rounded to the cent), by the CMS NADAC file of 2026-10-14; that price took effect on 2026-09-23. That is what pharmacies pay their suppliers, not what they charge you.

NADAC’s explanation codes for it: 1, calculated from the most recently completed pharmacy survey; 5, calculated based on package size; 6, the CMS Covered Outpatient Drug Product File S/I/N drug category was not applied when grouping drugs for the calculation.

What NADAC measures · NADAC explanation codes

All 5 NDCs

• 00472-0126-45 · Actavis Pharma, Inc. · $0.50376 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
• 21922-0051-06 · Encube Ethicals, Inc. · $0.50376 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
• 51672-1377-06 · Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. · $0.50376 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
• 62332-0549-45 · Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc. · $0.50376 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
• 68308-0666-25 · Mayne Pharma Commercial LLC. · $0.50376 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed

Other strengths, forms and brands

4 other products in the NADAC file share an FDA nonproprietary name with ADAPALENE 0.3% GEL.

Part D is one average per brand and generic name, over every strength and form.

CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17

Medicare Part D · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv · eff. 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · as of 2026-06-25 · retrieved 2026-10-18

Compared with its class

The middle of its 5 NDCs’ NADAC prices is $0.50376 per GM filed.

Of the 23 other products in FDA’s Retinoid class priced per GM, 19 have a higher middle NADAC price and 4 a lower one. The one in the middle is ADAPALENE 0.1% CREAM, at $2.85454 per GM filed (eff. 2026-09-23).

Prices are compared per unit, whatever the strength or dose, and a class is not a list of substitutes.

CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17

How the class comparison works

What Medicare paid

Medicare Part D paid $134.08 for 45 g, at an average of $2.9795 per GM in 2024 (2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31) for “Adapalene”, every strength and form sold under that name together (Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, file of 2026-06-25).

That average covers 9,624 Part D claims (fills, including refills) for 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31, across every maker, strength and form under the name.

4 of the product’s 5 NDCs have this Medicare figure; the other 1 do not, and the interactive card says why for each.

Medicare's price is not your price.

What Part D spending measures · Which Medicare figure OpenBill compares · How the spread is worked out

What to ask at the counter

None of these figures is your price: what you pay depends on your pharmacy, your insurance, coupons and discounts.

• What is your cash price for 45 g? Is it lower than what I would pay through my insurance?
• How much is in the package I am getting? This page uses 45 g; your package may hold a different amount.
• If you have Medicare Part D: what is my plan’s copay or coinsurance for it? The Part D average on this page is not what you pay.
• These are questions about price, not medical advice. Do not change or stop a medicine without talking to your prescriber or pharmacist.