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CYSTARAN

Generic: cysteamine hydrochloride

Verified·Oct 26, 2026
Manufacturer
Leadiant Biosciences
NDC
54482-020
RxCUI
1313780
Route
OPHTHALMIC
ICD-10 indication
E72.04

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About CYSTARAN

What is this medication?

Cystaran is a prescription ophthalmic solution used for the treatment of corneal cystine crystals in patients who have cystinosis. Cystinosis is a rare, life-long genetic disorder that leads to the buildup of the amino acid cystine in various organs and tissues, including the cornea of the eye. If these crystals are allowed to accumulate, they can cause significant eye pain, extreme sensitivity to light, and potential vision loss over time.

The medication contains the active ingredient cysteamine, which works by reducing the amount of cystine within the cells of the cornea. By lowering cystine levels, the drops help to dissolve existing crystals and prevent new ones from forming, thereby managing the ocular symptoms of the disease. Because the underlying condition is chronic, patients typically need to apply the drops frequently every day as part of a long-term treatment plan to maintain eye health.

Copay & patient assistance

  • Patient Copay Amount: Not Publicly Available
  • Maximum Annual Benefit Limit: Not Publicly Available
  • Core Eligibility Restrictions: Not Publicly Available
  • RxBIN, PCN, and Group numbers: Not Publicly Available

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Prescribing information

From the FDA-approved label for CYSTARAN. Official source: DailyMed (NLM) · Label effective Jun 6, 2025

Indications and usage
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE CYSTADROPS is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal deposits in adults and children with cystinosis. CYSTADROPS is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal deposits in adults and children with cystinosis. ( 1 )
Dosage and administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. ( 2.1 ) 2.1 Dosage Information Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. Do not touch dropper tip to the eyelids, surrounding areas, or any surface, as this may contaminate the solution. In case of concomitant therapy with other topical ocular products, an interval of 10 minutes should be allowed between successive applications. Eye ointments should be administered last. If the patient misses an instillation, the patient should be told to administer a dose as soon as feasible and then continue the treatment with the next scheduled instillation. Discard bottle 7 days after first opening. 2.2 Preparation for Administration Patients should be advised to store new unopened CYSTADROPS bottles in the refrigerator in the original carton between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Each week, one new bottle should be removed from the refrigerator. Patients are to write the date the bottle was opened in the space on the carton. After first opening, store opened CYSTADROPS at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C). Do not refrigerate after opening. Patients are to wash their hands carefully in order to avoid microbiological contamination of the content in the bottle. Remove the green protective cap (see Figure A ). Remove the metal seal (see Figure B ). Remove the gray stopper (see Figure C ) from the bottle. Do not touch the opening of the bottle after removing the gray stopper. Take the dropper out of its packaging, without touching the end intended to be attached to the bottle, attach it (see Figure D ) to the bottle and do not remove it. Patients should be advised not to lose the small white cap that comes on the top of the dropper (see Figure E ). Keep the small white cap tightly closed when not in use. Instill one drop of CYSTADROPS in each eye, 4 times a day during waking hours. At the end of 7 days, patients should discard the bottle. There may be medication left in the bottle; however, the bottle must be discarded by the patient because the medication is only stable for 7 days after first opening.
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS None. None. ( 4 )
Warnings and precautions
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS To minimize the risk of contamination, do not touch the dropper tip to any surface. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use. ( 5.1 ) 5.1 Contamination of Tip and Solution To minimize contaminating the dropper tip and solution, care should be taken not to touch the eyelids or surrounding areas with the dropper tip of the bottle. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use. 5.2 Benign Intracranial Hypertension There have been reports of benign intracranial hypertension (or pseudotumor cerebri) associated with oral cysteamine treatment that has resolved with the addition of diuretic therapy. There have also been reports associated with ophthalmic use of cysteamine; however, all of these patients were on concurrent oral cysteamine. 5.3 Contact Lens Use CYSTADROPS contains benzalkonium chloride, which may be absorbed by soft contact lenses. Contact with soft contact lenses should be avoided. Contact lenses should be removed prior to application of solution and may be reinserted 15 minutes following its administration [see Patient Counseling Information ( 17 )] .
Adverse reactions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions (≥ 10%) are eye pain, vision blurred, eye irritation, ocular hyperaemia, instillation site discomfort, eye pruritus, lacrimation increased, and ocular deposits. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Recordati Rare Diseases Inc. at 1-888-575-8344, or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The most common adverse reactions (≥ 10%) reported during clinical trials were eye pain, vision blurred, eye irritation, ocular hyperaemia, instillation site discomfort, eye pruritus, lacrimation increased, and ocular deposits.
Use in pregnancy
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ophthalmic cysteamine in pregnant women to inform any drug associated risks. Oral administration of cysteamine to pregnant rats throughout the period of organogenesis was teratogenic at doses 240 to 960 times the recommended human ophthalmic dose (based on body surface area) [ see Data ] . CYSTADROPS should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Data Animal data Teratology studies have been performed in rats at oral doses in the range of 37.5 mg/kg/day to 150 mg/kg/day (240 to 960 times the recommended human ophthalmic dose based on body surface area) and have shown cysteamine bitartrate to be teratogenic. Observed teratogenic findings were intrauterine death, cleft palate, kyphosis, heart ventricular septal defects, microcephaly, exencephaly, and growth deficits.

Label text is reproduced as-is from the FDA-approved label. We do not paraphrase, summarize, or omit. Content above is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your prescribing clinician or pharmacist before making decisions about your medication.

Conditions we've indexed resources for

Click a condition to see copay cards, grants, and PA rules specific to it. For the full list of FDA-approved indications, see Prescribing information above.

Medicare Part D coverage

How CYSTARAN appears across Medicare Part D plan formularies nationally. Source: CMS monthly Prescription Drug Plan file (2026-08-31).

Covered by plans

89%

4,915 of 5,499 plans

Most common tier

Tier 5

On 83% of covering formularies

Prior authorization required

78%

of covering formularies

TierFormularies on this tierShare
Tier 1 (preferred generic)33
14%
Tier 2 (generic)2
1%
Tier 4 (non-preferred brand)4
2%
Tier 5 (specialty)194
83%
Tier 61
0%

Step therapy: 0% of formularies

Quantity limits: 37% of formularies

Coverage breadth: 234 of 65 formularies

How to read this:plans on the same formulary share tier + PA rules. Your specific plan's copay depends on (a) the tier above, (b) your plan's cost-share for that tier, (c) whether you're in the initial coverage phase or past the 2026 $2,000 out-of-pocket cap. For your exact plan, check its Summary of Benefits or log in to your Medicare.gov account. Copay cards don't apply to Medicare (federal law).

Prior authorization & coverage

PayerPAStep therapyCopay tier

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Medicare Part D

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Related drugs

How this page is sourced

  • Drug identity verified against openFDA NDC Directory.
  • Label text (when shown) originates from NLM DailyMed.
  • Copay and assistance URLs verified periodically; if you hit a broken link, tell us.

Rare-disease navigation (specialists, trials, patient communities)

CYSTARAN treats a rare condition. For in-depth disease pages on our sister site:

UniteRare.org is our sister site for rare-disease navigation — same editorial team, same accuracy standards.