Why is the comparison with Medicare for CARTEOLOL HCL 1% EYE DROPS labelled estimated?

Beyond what the card shows, the records give these reasons: The Part D figure covers 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31; the NADAC price is from the file of 2026-10-14. Part D spending basis, as the Part D record states it: Part D 2024 average spend per dosage unit for Carteolol HCl / Carteolol HCl: all makers, strengths, forms and routes combined, claim-weighted; gross cost incl. dispensing fees and patient pay, before rebates. Unit taken as NADAC's ML. Joined on generic name.

Why does this page start at 1 mL?

The FDA package descriptions of this product’s NDCs give different amounts (5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL). So the card starts at 1 ML; change it to match your prescription.

CARTEOLOL HCL 1% EYE DROPS

For 1 mL

Pharmacies pay

$1.36 – $1.73 filed

1 × $1.36449 to $1.72987 per ML (the 3 NDCs differ)

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 paid

$2.24 filed

1 × $2.23902 per ML, Part D average

Medicare's price is not your price.

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

The spread

1.3× – 1.6× estimated

Medicare paid between 1.3× and 1.6× what pharmacies pay, depending on the NDC.

Part D averages every strength and form sold under “Carteolol HCl” into one figure, so it is not specific to this NDC.

OpenBill calculation · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv + nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · NADAC eff. 2026-09-23 (file of 2026-10-14, retrieved 2026-10-17) · Part D 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 (file of 2026-06-25, retrieved 2026-10-18)

Cost-plus estimate

$6.56 – $6.99 estimated

NADAC for the pack + 15% + $5.00 fee per fill

This is a model, not a price any pharmacy quoted. Shipping is not included. For a pack this cheap, the $5.00 fee is most of the estimate. How it is worked out

OpenBill calculation · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · NADAC eff. 2026-09-23 (file of 2026-10-14, retrieved 2026-10-17)

Open the interactive card Change the quantity, type what you were charged, and see every record in full.

What it is

CARTEOLOL HCL 1% EYE DROPS is how the CMS NADAC file names this product. The FDA NDC Directory lists it as carteolol hydrochloride.

FDA gives its dosage form as solution and its route as ophthalmic.

The labeler, the company named on the label, is Sandoz Inc.

FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is beta-Adrenergic Blocker.

The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under 3 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 $1.36 – $1.73 for 1 mL, depending on the NDC ($1.36449 to $1.72987 per ML), 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.

What NADAC measures · NADAC explanation codes

All 3 NDCs

61314-0238-05 · Sandoz Inc · $1.62978 per ML · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
61314-0238-10 · Sandoz Inc · $1.36449 per ML · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
61314-0238-15 · Sandoz Inc · $1.72987 per ML · eff. 2026-09-23 filed

Compared with its class

The middle of its 3 NDCs’ NADAC prices is $1.62978 per ML filed.

Of the 19 other products in FDA’s beta-Adrenergic Blocker class priced per ML, 13 have a higher middle NADAC price and 6 a lower one. The one in the middle is TIMOLOL 0.5% GEL-SOLUTION, at $8.30197 per ML 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 $2.24 for 1 mL, at an average of $2.23902 per ML in 2024 (2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31) for “Carteolol HCl”, every strength and form sold under that name together (Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, file of 2026-06-25).

That average covers 19,459 Part D claims (fills, including refills) for 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31, across every maker, strength and form under the name.

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 1 mL? Is it lower than what I would pay through my insurance?
Which NDC (the 11-digit number on the package) is this? Pharmacies pay $1.36449 to $1.72987 per ML for this product, depending on the NDC.
How much is in the package I am getting? This page uses 1 mL; 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.

Questions

Why is the comparison with Medicare for CARTEOLOL HCL 1% EYE DROPS labelled estimated?: Beyond what the card shows, the records give these reasons: The Part D figure covers 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31; the NADAC price is from the file of 2026-10-14. Part D spending basis, as the Part D record states it: Part D 2024 average spend per dosage unit for Carteolol HCl / Carteolol HCl: all makers, strengths, forms and routes combined, claim-weighted; gross cost incl. dispensing fees and patient pay, before rebates. Unit taken as NADAC's ML. Joined on generic name.
Why does this page start at 1 mL?: The FDA package descriptions of this product’s NDCs give different amounts (5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL). So the card starts at 1 ML; change it to match your prescription.

Its pharmacologic class

beta-Adrenergic Blocker 98 products