The short version
38 companies supply this market — deep enough that no single failure threatens the supply. The generic price is down 9% over the past year, to $0.5094 per gram. The brand runs $11.63 per gram — 23× more.
Market view
adapalene
89 marketed package NDCs · 38 active manufacturers
Most dispensed: 1 mg/g · Gel · #1 tube/carton / 15 g in 1 tube · 3 mg/g · Gel · #1 tube/carton / 45 g in 1 tube · 1 mg/g · Gel · #1 tube/carton / 45 g in 1 tube · 3 mg/g · Gel · #1 bottle, pump/carton / 45 g in 1 bottle, pump
Price range and competition
RSS: changes for this drugpriced separately — they are not the same market
Generic products only. Every company selling this drug reports its own price. The line follows the middle of the pack; the shaded band holds the middle half of companies — the wider it is, the more they disagree.
Latest · Sep 2026 — typical price $0.5094 · middle half $0.467–$0.714 · full range $0.338–$2.49 · 14 products · 45 companies
ⓘ How this was built
Data sources
- CMS NADAC weekly survey + monthly archives back to 2013 (data.medicaid.gov)
- CMS Federal Upper Limit files (weighted AMP)
- FDA NDC Directory (openFDA) — maker roster
Method
Each month's band spans the NADAC unit prices of every NDC of this drug (min, quartiles, median, max), split into brand and generic cohorts by FDA marketing category. Maker counts come from distinct labelers with the NDC actively listed.
Pipeline and calculations built by Claude (Fable 5) from the public datasets above. Educational only — verify against primary sources before acting.
What changed in the last 90 days
Every detected change for adapalene, newest first — price moves, shortages, recalls, and manufacturers entering or leaving. Detected by comparing each day’s federal data against the day before.
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.75879 → $0.78215 per unit (+3.08%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.50634 → $0.5094 per unit (+0.6%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.75879 → $0.78215 per unit (+3.08%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.50634 → $0.5094 per unit (+0.6%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price downNADAC $0.34422 → $0.338 per unit (-1.81%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.46077 → $0.46698 per unit (+1.35%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.50634 → $0.5094 per unit (+0.6%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price upNADAC $0.46077 → $0.46698 per unit (+1.35%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price downNADAC $2.54804 → $2.49014 per unit (-2.27%)
- AdapaleneAug 19, 2026Price downNADAC $0.34422 → $0.338 per unit (-1.81%)
Same drug class
Other molecules FDA puts in Retinoid, with whether each is in shortage right now. Same class is not the same drug — substitution is a clinical decision, and this is a supply picture, not a recommendation.
- adaplaene· 1 maker
- adaplane 0.1%· 1 maker
- benzoyl peroxide and tretinoin· 1 maker
- clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin gel 1.2%/0.025%· 1 maker
- clindamycin phosphate/benzoyl peroxide/adapalene· 1 maker
- fluocinolone acetonide, hydroquinone, and tretinoin· 1 maker
- halobetasol propionate and tazarotene· 1 maker
- tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide· 1 maker
- adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel, 0.1%/2.5%· 2 makers
- adapalene and benzoyl peroxide topical· 2 makers
- adapalene gel usp, 0.3%· 2 makers
- acne treatment· 3 makers
Common questions
- Is Adapalene in shortage right now?
- No. FDA does not currently list Adapalene in shortage. This page is rebuilt every morning from FDA's shortage database, so a new posting appears here the day it is published.
- Who makes Adapalene?
- 45 companies have marketed Adapalene in the last 30 days, according to the FDA NDC Directory. Every manufacturer and package is listed on this page.
- What does Adapalene cost?
- The typical pharmacy pays about $0.5094 per gram, based on the most recent CMS NADAC survey of actual acquisition costs. That is what the pharmacy pays for the drug itself — not the cash price, and not what an insurer is billed.
All marketed products
Expand a strength to see its dosage forms, then package sizes, then each manufacturer and NDC. Click an NDC for its full detail page.