TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL
For 1 g
Pharmacies pay
$2.50 – $3.55 filed
1 × $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM (the 8 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
$1.97 filed
1 × $1.97 per GM, 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
0.55× – 0.79× estimated
Medicare paid between 0.55× and 0.79× what pharmacies pay, depending on the NDC.
Part D averages every strength and form sold under “Tretinoin*” / “Tretinoin” 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
$7.88 – $9.08 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
TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL is how the CMS NADAC file names this product. The FDA NDC Directory lists it as tretinoin.
FDA gives its dosage form as gel and its route as topical.
FDA lists 4 labelers (the companies named on the label) for its NDCs, among them Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Padagis US LLC and Encube Ethicals, Inc.
FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is Retinoid.
The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under 8 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 $2.50 – $3.55 for 1 g, depending on the NDC ($2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM), 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
The 4 labelers
| Labeler | NDCs | Pharmacies pay per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Aurobindo Pharma Limited | 2 | $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM filed |
| Encube Ethicals, Inc. | 2 | $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM filed |
| Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM filed |
| Padagis US LLC | 2 | $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM filed |
All 8 NDCs, with labeler and price
- 00378-8086-15 · Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. · $3.54983 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 00378-8086-45 · Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. · $2.50019 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 00574-2325-15 · Padagis US LLC · $3.54983 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 00574-2325-45 · Padagis US LLC · $2.50019 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 21922-0057-04 · Encube Ethicals, Inc. · $3.54983 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 21922-0057-06 · Encube Ethicals, Inc. · $2.50019 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 59651-0713-14 · Aurobindo Pharma Limited · $3.54983 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
- 59651-0713-46 · Aurobindo Pharma Limited · $2.50019 per GM · eff. 2026-09-23 filed
Other strengths, forms and brands
7 other products in the NADAC file share the FDA nonproprietary name tretinoin with TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL.
| Product | Pharmacies pay per unit | Medicare per unit |
|---|---|---|
| TRETINOIN 0.01% GEL | $2.3019 to $2.73988 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 0.025% CREAM | $0.45929 to $0.55294 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL this page | $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 0.05% CREAM | $1.05049 to $1.61765 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 0.05% GEL | $3.93282 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 0.1% CREAM | $0.77008 to $0.91963 per GM filed | $1.97 per GM filed |
| TRETINOIN 10 MG CAPSULE | $8.53098 per EA filed | We don’t know yet |
| TRETINOIN GEL MICRO 0.08% PUMP | $11.46457 per GM filed | We don’t know yet |
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 8 NDCs’ NADAC prices is $2.50019 per GM filed.
Of the 23 other products in FDA’s Retinoid class priced per GM, 12 have a higher middle NADAC price and 11 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
What Medicare paid
Medicare Part D paid $1.97 for 1 g, at an average of $1.97 per GM in 2024 (2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31) for “Tretinoin*” and “Tretinoin”, every strength and form sold under that name together (Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, file of 2026-06-25).
That average covers 235,091 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 g? Is it lower than what I would pay through my insurance?
- Which NDC (the 11-digit number on the package) is this? Pharmacies pay $2.50019 to $3.54983 per GM for this product, depending on the NDC.
- How much is in the package I am getting? This page uses 1 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.
Questions
- Why is the comparison with Medicare for TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL 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 Tretinoin* / Tretinoin: all makers, strengths, forms and routes combined, claim-weighted; gross cost incl. dispensing fees and patient pay, before rebates. Unit taken as NADAC's GM. Joined on generic name. *: CMS says this average reflects multiple routes of administration, which may have different unit prices. Only NADAC NDCs whose FDA route includes TOPICAL point at this name (53 of the 58 the name join matched); NDCs of another route or with no known FDA route do not. 53 of 58 NADAC NDCs joined to this name are priced per GM (5 per EA): CMS's average mixes those units.
- Why does this page start at 1 g?
- The FDA package descriptions of this product’s NDCs give different amounts (15 g, 45 g). So the card starts at 1 GM; change it to match your prescription.
Related pages
Its pharmacologic class
Related in the same class
- ACITRETIN 10 MG CAPSULE
- TAZAROTENE 0.05% GEL
- ADAPALENE 0.3% GEL
- ISOTRETINOIN 10 MG CAPSULE
- ADAPALENE-BNZYL PEROX 0.1-2.5%