Avita vs. its authorized generic and generics

How to pay the least

Ask for the cash price

Generic tretinoin

No pharmacy we check posts a price for it.

Ask your pharmacy for the cash price of generic tretinoin.Find pharmacies near you
Ask one or two other pharmacies too. Cash prices for the same generic can differ a lot from store to store.

A regular generic has the same active ingredient as Avita, and the FDA requires it to work the same way.

Compare every option

Brand nameAvita

Authorized generictretinoin

Regular generictretinoin

What you’d pay

Not soldNo longer sold

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually among the lowest

Same as Avita?

–

Same medicine

Same active ingredientFillers and dyes can differ

Brand nameNot sold

Avita itself isn’t sold as a prescription anymore. Its generic versions, if any, are in the other tabs.

See the authorized generic →

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

The same medicine as Avita, without the brand name. Give the pharmacy its NDC to get it.

tretinoin

Sold by

Actavis Pharma

NDC to ask for

0.025%cream
- 0472-0117-2011-digit: 00472-0117-2020 g per tube
- 0472-0117-4511-digit: 00472-0117-4545 g per tube

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Avita, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic from Actavis Pharma (NDC 0472-0117-20), and for a regular generic?”

Paying cash? Ask for each one’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges for each.

Brand and authorized generic labels

Official labels and ingredient lists from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Avita itself isn’t sold anymore, so there’s no current brand label to compare. Here’s the authorized generic’s label.

Authorized generic package label from Actavis Pharma — Authorized genericActavis Pharma

See the ingredients

Active: tretinoin 0.025%

Inactive:

Butylated hydroxytoluene
Isopropyl myristate
Polyoxyl 40 stearate type i
Ppg-12/smdi copolymer
Propylene glycol
Sorbic acid
Stearic acid
Stearyl alcohol
Water
Xanthan gum

Regular genericWho makes it

5 companies sell a generic of Avita that the FDA rates a substitute. A pharmacy fills whichever one it stocks. To get a certain maker, ask for it by name; most pharmacies can order it in a day or two.

Alembic Pharmaceuticals0.025%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.025%

Package NDC
Carton of 20 g 62332-809-20
Carton of 45 g 62332-809-45

Inactive ingredients: stearic acid, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, stearyl alcohol, xanthan gum, sorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, water
FDA label
Encube Ethicals0.025%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.025%

Package NDC
Carton of 20 g 21922-079-25
Carton of 45 g 21922-079-06

Inactive ingredients: butylated hydroxytoluene, stearic acid, xanthan gum, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, stearyl alcohol, sorbic acid, water
FDA label
NorthStar Rx0.025%

Made by Sun Pharma Canada

Product page on northstarrxllc.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.025% White to yellow

Package NDC
Carton of 20 g 16714-270-01
Carton of 45 g 16714-270-02

Inactive ingredients: butylated hydroxytoluene, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, water, sorbic acid, stearic acid, stearyl alcohol, xanthan gum
FDA label
Padagis0.025%

Product page on padagis.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.025%

Package NDC
Carton of 20 g 0574-2225-20
Carton of 45 g 0574-2225-45

Inactive ingredients: stearic acid, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, stearyl alcohol, xanthan gum, sorbic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, water
FDA label
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries0.025%

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.025% White to yellow

Package NDC
Carton of 20 g 51672-1407-0
Carton of 45 g 51672-1407-9

Inactive ingredients: butylated hydroxytoluene, isopropyl myristate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, water, sorbic acid, stearic acid, stearyl alcohol, xanthan gum
FDA label

Package	NDC
Carton of 20 g	62332-809-20
Carton of 45 g	62332-809-45

Package	NDC
Carton of 20 g	21922-079-25
Carton of 45 g	21922-079-06

Package	NDC
Carton of 20 g	16714-270-01
Carton of 45 g	16714-270-02

Package	NDC
Carton of 20 g	0574-2225-20
Carton of 45 g	0574-2225-45

Package	NDC
Carton of 20 g	51672-1407-0
Carton of 45 g	51672-1407-9

The FDA doesn’t rate Aurobindo Pharma’s version of tretinoin a substitute for Avita, so a pharmacy can’t swap it in without your prescriber’s OK.

Who sells it: FDA and Medicaid records, updated weekly. Each maker’s page, card and program is from its own site.

What it’s used for

Acne

What the FDA label says

Tretinoin Cream, USP is indicated for topical application in the treatment of acne vulgaris. The safety and efficacy of this product in the treatment of other disorders have not been established.

Source: the FDA label for Tretinoin (Actavis Pharma, Inc.), December 11, 2024. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Avita (color, shape, or markings). That’s normal for an authorized generic.
If your prescription says “dispense as written,” the pharmacy needs your prescriber’s OK to give you the authorized generic.
Cash prices can differ a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so it can pay to ask two. With insurance, what you pay depends on your plan.
If your pharmacy doesn’t stock it, they can often order it within a day or two.
Don’t stop or change a medicine without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.

Prices change: confirm with the pharmacy before you fill. drugalt.com/drug/avita/