TRETINOIN 0.05% GEL
For 45 g
Pharmacies pay
$176.98 filed
45 × $3.93282 per GM
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
$88.65 filed
45 × $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
0.50× estimated
Medicare paid 50% less than pharmacies pay.
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
$208.53 estimated
$176.98 + $26.55 (15%) + $5.00 fee per fill = $208.53
This is a model, not a price any pharmacy quoted. Shipping is not included. 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 0.05% 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.
The labeler, the company named on the label, is Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is Retinoid.
The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under one NDC (National Drug Code), 00378-8090-45.
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 $176.98 for 45 g (45 × $3.93282 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.
What NADAC measures · NADAC explanation codes
The NDC
- 00378-8090-45 · Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. · $3.93282 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 0.05% 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 | $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 this page | $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
Its NADAC price is $3.93282 per GM filed.
Of the 23 other products in FDA’s Retinoid class priced per GM, 9 have a higher middle NADAC price and 14 a lower one. The one in the middle is TRETINOIN 0.025% GEL, at $2.50019 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 $88.65 for 45 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 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.
Questions
- Why is the comparison with Medicare for TRETINOIN 0.05% 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 45 g?
- NADAC prices this product per GM. The FDA NDC Directory’s package description gives 45 g in one package for this product’s NDC (“1 TUBE in 1 CARTON (0378-8090-45) / 45 g in 1 TUBE”), so the card starts at one package: 45 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%