MAXIDEX 0.1 % — DIN 00042579
DEXAMETHASONE : 0.1 % · NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC · OINTMENT · wholesale supply in Canada
Health Canada status: MARKETED
What is MAXIDEX?
MAXIDEX 0.1 % contains DEXAMETHASONE : 0.1 %. It is listed in the Health Canada Drug Product Database under DIN 00042579, held by NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC, supplied as OINTMENT for OPHTHALMIC administration. Health Canada currently lists it as marketed, status dated 19-Jan-2018. 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 MAXIDEX used for?
Steroid responsive inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea and anterior segment of the globe; corneal injury from chemical, radiation, thermal burns or foreign bodies.
Authorized indication as written in the Health Canada product monograph. For healthcare professionals and licensed purchasers; this is not medical advice.
How much does Dexamethasone cost around the world?
Dexamethasone is listed on 14 of the national price registers Nexara ingests. Each country publishes on a different basis, so those figures are not comparable with one another — or with a Canadian wholesale price.
What a market publishes matters more than the number it publishes. Australia publishes a ex-manufacturer; Austria publishes a KVP (Kassenverkaufspreis); Bahrain publishes a retail (max). Comparing an ex-factory ceiling against a pharmacy public price tells you nothing about either, and comparing either against a Canadian landed cost tells you less.
| Market | Price basis published there | Brands | Packs listed | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | acquisition | 15 | 101 | USD███.██ |
| Greece | producer price (ex-factory) | 61 | 61 | EUR███.██ |
| Saudi Arabia | public | 18 | 18 | SAR███.██ |
| United Kingdom | hospital | 16 | 16 | GBP███.██ |
| Bahrain | retail (max) | 11 | 14 | BHD███.██ |
| Morocco | PPV (public price) | 6 | 12 | MAD███.██ |
| South Africa | single exit price | 12 | 12 | ZAR███.██ |
| Czechia | max producer price (ex-factory) | 6 | 10 | CZK███.██ |
| Luxembourg | reimbursement | 9 | 9 | EUR███.██ |
| United Arab Emirates | public | 8 | 8 | AED███.██ |
| Australia | ex-manufacturer | 2 | 8 | AUD███.██ |
| Austria | KVP (Kassenverkaufspreis) | 3 | 5 | EUR███.██ |
| Hungary | producer price (ex-factory) | 1 | 1 | HUF███.██ |
| Lebanon | public price (USD, Decision 119/1) | 1 | 1 | USD███.██ |
276 pack listings across 169 brand entries and 12 price bases, refreshed 08 Sep 2026. Ranges span every Dexamethasone pack in that market, so a high figure is usually a larger pack rather than the same product.
Canada publishes no comparable public list price. For a delivered Canadian price on a licensed account, verify your licence — it takes about a minute.
Is there a generic Dexamethasone in Canada, and who makes it?
Every market authorization holder with a Canadian DIN for this molecule, and how many of their listings Health Canada currently shows as marketed.
3 holders have a Canadian DIN containing Dexamethasone, across 4 DINs, of which 3 are currently marketed. Marketed count is the number that matters: an approval that is not marketed cannot be bought.
| Market authorization holder | DINs | Marketed | Brand names | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC | 2 | 2 | MAXIDEX | Sourceable in Canada |
| ABBVIE CORPORATION | 1 | 1 | OZURDEX | Sourceable in Canada |
| HERDT ET CHARTON INC. | 1 | 0 | OCUDEX LIQ 0.1% | No marketed DIN |
Health Canada’s Drug Product Database does not flag which listing is the originator and which are subsequent-entry products, so Nexara does not label them here. Interchangeability is determined provincially, not federally — confirm for your province before a formulary switch. Nexara can confirm which of these is actually obtainable, and on what lead time, per order.
How is it supplied and stored?
Pack configuration, storage class and the handling constraints that drive cold-chain planning. One DIN can cover more than one pack size, and the pack — not the DIN — is what gets priced, shipped and invoiced.
| Strength on the label | 0.1 % |
|---|---|
| Dosage form | OINTMENT |
| Route | OPHTHALMIC |
| Pack configuration (monograph) | Ointment: 3.5 g tubes. Suspension: 8 mL plastic bottle. |
| Storage | Store at room temperature. Discard 4 weeks after first opening. |
Before an order line is unambiguous Nexara needs the strength, the pack size and the presentation.
Substance and classification
| Active substance | Dexamethasone |
|---|---|
| ATC code | S01BA01 |
| Biosimilar biologic | No |
Health Canada record and identifiers
The regulatory facts straight from the Drug Product Database, plus every identifier form Nexara accepts on a purchase order. A DIN written without its leading zeros is the commonest reason an order line fails to match.
| DIN (8-digit, as used in ordering) | 00042579 |
|---|---|
| DIN (unpadded, as printed on some documents) | 42579 |
| Brand name | MAXIDEX |
| Generic / active ingredient | DEXAMETHASONE : 0.1 % |
| Market authorization holder | NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC |
| Health Canada schedule | Prescription |
| ATC code | S01BA01 |
| ATC anatomical main group | S — Sensory organs |
| ATC therapeutic subgroup | S01BA |
| Current status | MARKETED |
| Status date | 19-Jan-2018 |
| Status source | Live Health Canada DPD sync |
Verify on the primary sources
How is it administered?
Ointment: Apply ribbon into conjunctival sac 3-4 times daily. Suspension: 1-2 drops into conjunctival sac; hourly in severe disease, 4-6 times daily in mild disease. Taper as inflammation subsides.
Included because it drives pack selection and wastage. Consult the monograph.
Contraindications
Hypersensitivity; Herpes simplex keratitis; Vaccinia, varicella, other viral diseases of cornea/conjunctiva; Mycobacterial/fungal/untreated parasitic eye infections; Acute purulent untreated infections.
Warnings and precautions
May slow corneal wound healing; prolonged use may result in ocular hypertension, glaucoma, or cataracts. Monitor IOP if used >10 days. May cause Cushing’s syndrome or adrenal suppression.
Is Dexamethasone in shortage in Canada?
A Canadian shortage report is on file for a product containing this molecule: Active — reported by STERIMAX INC (Tier 3 shortage DEXAMETHASONE SODIUM PHOSPHATE INJECTION, USP" aria-label="Actual Tier 3 shortage DEXAMETHASONE SODIUM P), last seen 09 Sep 2026. A shortage on one presentation does not always affect every DIN of the molecule — the alternatives below list what else is marketed in Canada. Nexara can confirm current availability and identify substitutions or import options where permitted.
What can be used instead?
Alternatives on every axis a buyer actually considers — the same molecule in another presentation, the same class, an adjacent class, or a fixed-dose combination. Every row is led by the marketed DIN count, because that is what can be bought this week.
1 · Same molecule, other Canadian presentations
3 of 4 Canadian DINs for this molecule are currently marketed. Marketed products are listed first.
| Product | Strength | Form | Holder | Health Canada status | DIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAXIDEX | 0.1 % | SUSPENSION | NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CANADA INC | MARKETED | 00042560 |
| OZURDEX | 0.7 MG | IMPLANT | ABBVIE CORPORATION | MARKETED | 02363445 |
| OCUDEX LIQ 0.1% | .1 % | LIQUID | HERDT ET CHARTON INC. | CANCELLED POST MARKET | 01995022 |
2 · Same class — other molecules in ATC S01BA
| Molecule | Canadian brands | DINs | Marketed | Sourceable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prednisolone | AK TATE OPH SUS 1% · DIOPRED SUSPENSION 1% · INFLAMASE FORTE OPH SOLN 1% · INFLAMASE FORTE OPHTHALMIC SOLUTION 1% · +12 more | 17 | 4 | Yes |
| Loteprednol | ALREX · LOTEMAX · LOTEMAX GEL · LOTEMAX OINTMENT | 4 | 4 | Yes |
| Dexamethasone | MAXIDEX · OCUDEX LIQ 0.1% · OZURDEX | 4 | 3 | Yes |
| Fluorometholone | FLAREX · FML · FML FORTE SUS 0.25% · PMS-FLUOROMETHOLONE · +1 more | 5 | 2 | Yes |
| Triamcinolone | TRIESENCE · XIPERE | 2 | 1 | Yes |
| Corticosteroids, Plain | DUREZOL | 1 | 1 | Yes |
| Fluocinolone Acetonide | ILUVIEN · RETISERT | 2 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Hydrocortisone | CORTAMED ONT 25 MG/GM | 1 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Medrysone | HMS | 1 | 0 | Not in Canada |
| Rimexolone | VEXOL OPHTHALMIC SUSPENSION - 1% | 1 | 0 | Not in Canada |
A molecule with zero marketed DINs cannot be sourced domestically, however many approvals it holds — if one of these sits on a formulary or in an older protocol, that is the line to check.
3 · Adjacent classes in ATC S01B
| ATC subgroup | Molecules | DINs | Marketed |
|---|---|---|---|
| S01BC | Bromfenac · Diclofenac · Flurbiprofen · Indometacin · Ketorolac · +1 more | 22 | 10 |
Not clinical advice. These tables describe what can be supplied in Canada, not what should be prescribed. Substitution within or across classes is a prescriber and pharmacist decision, and interchangeability is determined provincially.
What else is MAXIDEX called?
The same molecule, Dexamethasone, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ozurdex | Latin | Australia, Bahrain, South Africa |
| DECADRON | Latin | Bahrain, Morocco |
| DEXAMETHASONE MYLAN | Latin | Morocco |
| Dexmethsone | Latin | Australia |
| APO-DEXAMETHASONE | Latin | Bahrain |
| DEXAMETHASONE KRKA | Latin | Czechia |
| DEXAMETHASONE NORIDEM | Latin | Czechia |
| DEXAMETHASONE ZENTIVA | Latin | Czechia |
| DUCRESSA | Latin | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia |
| FORTECORTIN | Latin | Czechia |
| Maxitrol | Latin | Saudi Arabia, South Africa |
| ORADEXON | Latin | Morocco |
| ORADEXON ELIXIR | Latin | Morocco |
| TOBRADEX | Latin | Bahrain |
| TOBRASON | Latin | Bahrain, United Arab Emirates |
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.
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. Patients and unlicensed buyers are routed to a partner pharmacy.
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.
Why is there no price on this page?
Nexara quotes a delivered Canadian price per order, against a verified licence. Foreign list prices are published on incompatible bases and are not a guide to what any buyer can obtain here, so this page shows which markets list the molecule and on what basis, and nothing more.
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.