Is a Generic Version of Ocupress Available?
Ocupress® (
carteolol hydrochloride) is a prescription eye drop approved for the treatment of
glaucoma and high eye pressure. It belongs to a group of medications known as
beta blockers; it works to lower eye pressure by decreasing fluid production in the eye.
Brand-name Ocupress is manufactured by CIBA Vision Sterile Mfg. for Novartis Ophthalmics. However, the patents for Ocupress have expired, and this medication is currently available in generic form.
Generic Ocupress Availability
Generic Ocupress eye drops are available in one strength -- carteolol 1 percent ophthalmic solution. The medicine is made by a few different manufacturers, such as:
- Alcon Laboratories
- Bausch & Lomb Incorporated
- Falcon Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
Is Generic Carteolol as Good as Ocupress?
All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generics are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns each generic a rating. An "AT" rating means that the FDA has determined that a generic medication is equivalent to its brand-name counterpart. Generic carteolol has an "AT" rating, meaning it should be equivalent to Ocupress.
However, generic medications are allowed to have different inactive ingredients than the brand-name medication. This might include preservatives or other ingredients that may cause problems for people with
allergies or sensitivities.
