Quick answers
- What is Meperidine hydrochloride used for?
- The FDA-approved label (Demerol, Hospira, Inc., July 20, 2026) says: “DEMEROL Injection is indicated for preoperative medication, support of anesthesia, and obstetrical analgesia. DEMEROL Injection is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. …” This page is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change any medicine.
- Does Meperidine hydrochloride have a boxed warning?
- Yes. The FDA label for Demerol has a boxed warning (“WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF DEMEROL”), the FDA’s strongest warning. Read it on the full label and ask your pharmacist.
- Is there a shortage of Meperidine hydrochloride?
- The FDA drug shortage list shows “Current shortage” for a product of this medicine (updated October 21, 2026). Ask your pharmacist about alternatives.
- Has Meperidine hydrochloride been recalled?
- No recall linked to the products of this medicine appears in the FDA enforcement reports we use.
- Who makes Meperidine hydrochloride?
- 4 companies list prescription products of Meperidine hydrochloride in the FDA NDC Directory, including Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Hospira, Inc. and Epic Pharma, LLC.
What Meperidine hydrochloride is used for
Quoted from the “Indications and Usage” section of the FDA-approved label.
DEMEROL Injection is indicated for preoperative medication, support of anesthesia, and obstetrical analgesia. DEMEROL Injection is indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. …
— FDA label: Demerol, Hospira, Inc., effective July 20, 2026. Read the full label on DailyMed →
The FDA has 5 labels for products of this medicine (different makers and forms); uses can differ between them. Check the label that comes with your own medicine.
This page is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change any medicine.
Boxed warning
A boxed warning (“black box”) is the FDA’s strongest warning on a drug label, for serious or life-threatening risks.
This label has a boxed warning. Its heading: WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF DEMEROL
. Read it on the full label →
5 of 5 FDA labels for this medicine have a boxed warning.
Forms and how it is given
| Dosage forms | Tablet · Injection, solution · Injection · Solution |
|---|---|
| Route | Intramuscular · Intravenous · Subcutaneous · Oral |
| Prescription products | 10 in the FDA NDC Directory |
| Brand names | Demerol |
What pharmacies pay (NADAC)
The National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) is the average price U.S. retail pharmacies paid to buy one unit of a medicine (one tablet, one mL or one gram), from a monthly survey of pharmacy invoices by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). State Medicaid programs use it to pay pharmacies.
This is not the price you pay. What you pay depends on your insurance (copay or coinsurance), your pharmacy and any discounts, and pharmacies also charge for filling a prescription. Ask your pharmacist or your health plan what your price will be.
| Strength and form | Generic or brand | Pharmacies pay |
|---|---|---|
| meperidine hydrochloride 50 mg/5 mL solution | Generic | $0.1567 per mL |
NADAC list of November 4, 2026; these prices took effect on October 21, 2026. Shown only where a package’s NDC code matches the NADAC list exactly, and only for that exact strength and form: nothing is averaged across strengths. Strengths and forms not listed here have no NADAC price.
Source: NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) 2026, data.medicaid.gov (CMS) →
Companies that list this medicine
Labelers in the FDA NDC Directory: the company named on the package (maker or distributor), with the number of prescription products.
- Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.4 products
- Hospira, Inc.3 products
- Epic Pharma, LLC2 products
- Genus Lifesciences Inc.1 product
FDA approval history
- NDA: New Drug Application: how a new (usually brand-name) medicine is approved.
- ANDA: Abbreviated New Drug Application: how a generic version is approved.
| Application | Sponsor | Approved | Later changes approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDA021171 DEMEROL | Hospira | November 10, 1942 | 13, latest December 22, 2025 2025: Labeling · 2025: Labeling · 2023: Labeling |
Generic approvals (4)
- ANDA080445West-Ward Pharms Int · January 22, 1975
- ANDA088744Hikma · January 30, 1985
- ANDA040331Epic Pharma LLC · May 28, 1999
- ANDA040893Genus · June 24, 2009
Shortage status
Current shortage · updated October 21, 2026 · first posted May 30, 2025
| Product | Demerol, Injection, 25 mg/1 mL (NDC 0409-1176-30) |
|---|---|
| Availability | Available |
| Company | Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer Company |
Ask your pharmacist whether your product is affected and what the options are.
Recalls
No recall linked to these products (by their NDC code) appears in the FDA enforcement reports.
Official identifiers
Sources
- FDA-approved label on DailyMed (National Library of Medicine) — Demerol, Hospira, Inc., effective July 20, 2026; via openFDA, FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- NDC Directory (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- Drugs@FDA (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- Drug recall enforcement reports (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 27, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- Drug shortages (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
openFDA data is provided by the FDA as is; it may be incomplete. Always rely on the label that comes with your medicine. FDA Enforcement Report search →