desonate
Desonate (Desonide) is a corticosteroid used to treat Facial Dermatoses, Foot Dermatoses, Hand Dermatoses, Inflammation.
Desonide · by Leo Pharma As
Available as a generic: Desonide
Key facts
- Active ingredient
- Desonide
- Drug class
- Corticosteroid
- Form
- Topical
- Strength
- Desonide 0.05% **Federal Register Determination That Product was not Discontinued or Withdrawn for Safety or Effectiveness reasons**
- Type
- Prescription (Rx)
- Brand or generic
- Brand-name
- May treat
- facial dermatoses, foot dermatoses, hand dermatoses
- Manufacturer
- Leo Pharma As
- What the pharmacy pays
- ~$0.28 per gm — not your price
- FDA application
- NDA021844
- Availability
- Discontinued (per FDA)
Drug class
How this class works, per Corticosteroids - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf.
May treat (source: NIH RxClass)
See how Desonate ranks — best-rated corticosteroid for:
Dosage forms
Topical
The forms currently marketed in the U.S., per the FDA National Drug Code Directory.
Ways to save
Ask for the generic
Same active ingredient, far cheaper. Is there a generic? →
Request a 90-day supply
Bulk fills usually lower the per-dose price vs monthly refills.
Use copay cards
Manufacturer copay cards & patient-assistance programs — especially for brand drugs.
Compare alternatives
A same-class option may cost less. See alternatives →
Frequently asked questions
- What does Desonate treat?
- Desonate (Desonide) may be used to treat facial dermatoses, foot dermatoses, hand dermatoses, inflammation, leg dermatoses, scalp dermatoses, based on NIH RxClass drug-classification data (conditions a drug may treat — not a verbatim copy of the FDA-approved label). This is general reference, not medical advice.
- How does Desonate work?
- Desonate is a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response.
- How much does Desonate cost?
- Nobody can tell you what you will pay — your price is set by your insurer's formulary, your deductible and the pharmacy's markup, and none of those are published. What IS published is what the pharmacy paid to acquire it: about $0.28 per gm, per the CMS NADAC survey. Treat that as the floor, not the quote — ask the pharmacist for the cash price as well as your copay, because for cheap generics the cash price often wins. Pharmacies pay less for a same-class option, Cortenema — about $0.14 on the same basis.
- Is there a coupon or discount for Desonate?
- pharmaranks is an independent ratings site, not a pharmacy — we don't issue coupons or sell Desonate. To pay less, ask your prescriber or pharmacist whether a generic equivalent exists, check the manufacturer's copay/savings card and patient-assistance program, and compare a pharmacy discount card against your insurance copay. Prices vary by pharmacy, insurance, and location, so always confirm at the counter. This is general reference, not medical or financial advice.
- Who makes Desonate?
- Desonate is marketed by Leo Pharma As. You can see Leo Pharma As's full profile, rating, and other products on pharmaranks.
- Is Desonate a brand-name or generic drug?
- Desonate is a brand-name product with the active ingredient Desonide. Lower-cost generic equivalents containing Desonide are available — ask your pharmacist.
- Is Desonate available over the counter?
- No. Desonate is a prescription (Rx) medication in the US — you need a prescription from a licensed clinician (in person or via telehealth); it isn't sold over the counter. For some conditions there are OTC alternatives — ask your pharmacist.
- What forms does Desonate come in?
- Desonate is currently marketed as topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory.
- What class of drug is Desonate?
- Desonate is classified as corticosteroid, per the FDA's Established Pharmacologic Class.
- Is Desonate FDA-registered?
- Desonate is on record with the U.S. FDA under application number NDA021844. You can verify this on its official FDA label.
Information is sourced from public FDA regulatory data. Provided for general reference only — not medical advice. Always consult a licensed professional and the current prescribing information.
What people report to the FDA about DESONIDE
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 5,247 reports naming DESONIDE — the active ingredient in Desonate, and the FDA flagged 55% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- macular degeneration794 reports
- nausea388 reports
- pruritus362 reports
- rash351 reports
- erythema336 reports
- headache333 reports
- pyrexia318 reports
- malaise291 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean DESONIDE caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved September 25, 2026.
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