DIFFERIN 0.1 %
ADAPALENE : 0.1 % · DIN 02231592 · GALDERMA CANADA INC
Health Canada status: MARKETED
What is DIFFERIN?
DIFFERIN 0.1 % contains ADAPALENE : 0.1 %. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 02231592, held by GALDERMA CANADA INC, supplied as CREAM for TOPICAL administration. Health Canada currently lists it as marketed, status dated 08-Jan-1998. Nexara Health is a licensed Canadian wholesale distributor (DEL 3-002896-A) and can source this product for hospitals, pharmacies and clinics. Availability and lead time are confirmed per order.
What is DIFFERIN used for?
Treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older.
Authorized indication as written in the Health Canada product monograph. For healthcare professionals and licensed purchasers; this is not medical advice.
What else is DIFFERIN called?
The same molecule, ADAPALENE, is registered under other names elsewhere. Buyers and prescribers searching from outside Canada — or working from a foreign prescription or tender document — often know it by one of these:
| Name | Script | Registered in |
|---|---|---|
| Adzoy | Latin | Saudi Arabia |
| Epiduo | Latin | Australia, Czechia |
| Epiduo Forte | Latin | Bahrain, Czechia, South Africa |
| Deriva ™ Aqueous | Latin | United Arab Emirates |
| DIFFERINE | Latin | Morocco |
| ADOLIN CREAM | Latin | Bahrain |
| ADOLIN GEL | Latin | Bahrain |
| ARELMA | Latin | Czechia |
| BELAKNE COMBI | Latin | Czechia |
| Dapta Cream | Latin | South Africa |
| Dapta Gel | Latin | South Africa |
| DERIVA AQUEOUS GEL | Latin | Bahrain |
| Deriva Co | Latin | South Africa |
| Deriva Gel | Latin | South Africa |
| Differin Cream | Latin | South Africa |
Names are taken from national medicine registers and published price lists. A product registered abroad is not authorized for sale in Canada unless it holds its own DIN; import is possible only through the routes Health Canada permits.
Product details and regulatory record
| DIN | 02231592 |
|---|---|
| Brand name | DIFFERIN |
| Generic / active ingredient | ADAPALENE : 0.1 % |
| Manufacturer | GALDERMA CANADA INC |
| Strength | 0.1 % |
| Dosage form | CREAM |
| Route of administration | TOPICAL |
| Schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | D10AD03 ADAPALENE |
| AHFS class | 84:04.92 |
| Biosimilar | No |
| Health Canada status | MARKETED |
| Status date | 08-Jan-1998 |
| Original market date | 1998-08-26 00:00:00 |
How is this product identified?
Purchase orders, customs paperwork and tender documents each ask for a different identifier, and a DIN written without its leading zeros is the single most common reason an order line fails to match. Every form Nexara accepts for this product is listed here.
| DIN (8-digit, as used in Nexara ordering) | 02231592 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 2231592 |
| Brand name | DIFFERIN |
| Active ingredient / INN | ADAPALENE : 0.1 % |
| ATC code | D10AD03 |
| ATC anatomical main group | D — Dermatologicals |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | D10 |
| AHFS class | 84:04.92 |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| Biosimilar biologic | No |
| Market authorization holder | GALDERMA CANADA INC |
How is it administered?
Apply a thin film to affected areas of face, chest, and back once daily before retiring and after washing. Ensure skin is dry. Avoid eyes, lips, and mucous membranes.
Included because it drives pack selection and wastage. Consult the monograph.
How is it stored and handled?
Not explicitly detailed in the provided text sections (refer to section 11).
How is it supplied?
60 g laminate tubes (Cream, Gel 0.1%, Gel 0.3%); 60 mL and 120 mL HDPE bottles with pump (Lotion 0.1%).
Which pack is which?
| Strength on the label | 0.1 % |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | CREAM |
| Route | TOPICAL |
| Packaging as described in the monograph | 60 g laminate tubes (Cream, Gel 0.1%, Gel 0.3%); 60 mL and 120 mL HDPE bottles with pump (Lotion 0.1%). |
| Storage | Not explicitly detailed in the provided text sections (refer to section 11). |
One DIN can cover more than one pack size, and the pack — not the DIN — is what gets priced, shipped and invoiced. Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation.
Contraindications
Hypersensitivity to ingredients; patients with eczema or seborrheic dermatitis; pregnancy; women planning a pregnancy.
Warnings and precautions
For external use only. Avoid excessive sunlight/UV exposure. Use sunscreen. Avoid "waxing" on treated skin. May cause local irritation (erythema, dryness, burning).
What can be used instead?
Other Canadian products sharing ATC code D10AD03 ADAPALENE. 3 of 5 DINs in this group are currently marketed — marketed products are listed first, because that is what can actually be bought. These tables describe supply, not clinical equivalence: substitution rests with the prescriber or pharmacist, and interchangeability is determined provincially.
| Product | Strength | Form | Manufacturer | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIFFERIN | 0.1 % | GEL | GALDERMA CANADA INC | MARKETED | DIN 02148749 |
| DIFFERIN XP | 0.3 % | GEL | GALDERMA CANADA INC | MARKETED | DIN 02274000 |
| DIFFERIN | 0.1 % | LIQUID | GALDERMA CANADA INC | CANCELLED POST MARKET | DIN 02148757 |
| DIFFERIN | 0.1 % | LOTION | GALDERMA CANADA INC | APPROVED | DIN 02376660 |
Who else supplies ADAPALENE worldwide?
Nexara tracks national medicine registries and published price lists across multiple markets. ADAPALENE appears in 2012 registered pack listings across 7 markets, published on 6 different national price bases. Where a Canadian route is closed, that is where an alternative route of supply starts — subject to the import rules in both countries.
Registered listings are not stock. Ask us to confirm what can actually be sourced for your order.
How much does ADAPALENE cost around the world?
ADAPALENE is listed on 10 national price registers Nexara tracks, across 62 pack listings published on 9 different price bases. What each country publishes is set out below.
| Market | What that country publishes | Brands listed | Pack listings | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | acquisition | 4 | 15 | 03 Sep 2026 |
| Saudi Arabia | public | 8 | 11 | 01 Sep 2026 |
| South Africa | single exit price | 8 | 8 | 01 Sep 2026 |
| United Arab Emirates | public | 6 | 7 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Bahrain | retail (max) | 7 | 7 | 01 Sep 2026 |
| Czechia | max producer price (ex-factory) | 4 | 4 | 03 Sep 2026 |
| Luxembourg | reimbursement | 4 | 4 | 05 Sep 2026 |
| Australia | ex-manufacturer | 1 | 3 | 08 Sep 2026 |
| Morocco | PPV (public price) | 1 | 2 | 05 Sep 2026 |
| Greece | producer price (ex-factory) | 1 | 1 | 03 Sep 2026 |
Why there are no figures here. These bases are not comparable. A Brazilian ex-factory ceiling, a Belgian pharmacy public price and a Japanese reimbursement rate answer three different questions, and none of them is what a product lands in Canada for. Putting them side by side would mislead in both directions, so Nexara publishes where a molecule is listed and on what basis, and quotes the delivered Canadian price per order.
How can I get it?
Nexara Health supplies this product to licensed Canadian buyers — pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, licensed distributors, and clinical trial sponsors or their CROs. We confirm stock, pack size, expiry and pricing at the time of quotation. If the product is on backorder or in shortage, we identify equivalent alternatives and import options where permitted.
Ordering questions
Who can buy this from Nexara?
Licensed entities only. Nexara holds Health Canada establishment licence DEL 3-002896-A and ships only to a licensed address.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, set per product line and per pack multiple rather than on the order total, so you are never asked to buy a part-pack. The minimum for this line is confirmed with your quote.
What is the lead time?
Confirmed per order at quotation, and it depends on current stock position and whether the product is in shortage.
Can Nexara supply this for a clinical trial?
Yes — comparator and background-therapy supply, including sourcing from other markets where a Canadian pack will not satisfy the protocol. Clinical trial supply.