Istalol vs. its authorized generic and generics

How to pay the least

Ask for the cash price

Generic timolol

No pharmacy we check posts a price for it.

Ask your pharmacy for the cash price of generic timolol.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 Istalol, and the FDA requires it to work the same way.

Compare every option

Brand nameIstalol

Authorized generictimolol

Regular generictimolol

What you’d pay

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually the highest price

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually less than Istalol

Cash priceAsk the pharmacyUsually the lowest

Same as Istalol?

The original

Same medicine

Same active ingredientFillers and dyes can differ

Brand nameNo maker’s card

We didn’t find a savings card or cash price from Istalol’s maker. Ask the pharmacy for Istalol’s cash price. With insurance, ask what your plan charges.

Authorized genericThe NDC to ask for

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

timolol

Sold by

Bausch & LombThe company behind Istalol

NDC to ask for

0.5%drops
- 82260-045-0511-digit: 82260-0045-055 mL per dropper bottle
- 82260-045-2511-digit: 82260-0045-252.5 mL per dropper bottle

Source: FDA, updated October 30, 2026

What to say at the pharmacy

“Before you fill my Istalol, can you tell me what I’d pay for the brand, for the authorized generic from Bausch & Lomb (NDC 82260-045-05), 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).

Same active and inactive ingredients as Istalol.

Authorized generic package label from Bausch & Lomb — Authorized genericBausch & Lomb

See the ingredients

Active: timolol maleate 0.5%

Inactive, on both labels:

Benzalkonium chloride
Potassium sorbate
Sodium chloride
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium phosphate, monobasic, monohydrate
Water

Regular genericWho makes it

One company sells a generic of Istalol 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.

Somerset Therapeutics0.5%

Product page on somersetpharma.com

How it looks, what’s in it, NDCs

0.5%

Package NDC
Carton of 2.5 mL 70069-516-01

0.5%

Package NDC
Carton of 5 mL 70069-517-01

Inactive ingredients: benzalkonium chloride, sodium phosphate, monobasic, monohydrate, potassium sorbate, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, water
FDA label

Package	NDC
Carton of 2.5 mL	70069-516-01

Package	NDC
Carton of 5 mL	70069-517-01

The FDA doesn’t rate Armas Pharmaceuticals, Caplin Steriles, Ingenus Pharmaceuticals, Leading Pharma, Micro Labs, Nordic Pharma, NorthStar Rx, Pacific Pharma, Rising Pharma Holdings and Sandoz’s versions of timolol a substitute for Istalol, so a pharmacy can’t swap them 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

Glaucoma and high eye pressure

What the FDA label says

ISTALOL is a beta adrenergic blocker indicated for the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma.

Source: the FDA label for Istalol (Bausch & Lomb Incorporated), October 30, 2024. Full label on DailyMed

Good to know

It may look different from Istalol (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/istalol/