Hydroxyurea
Brand names: Siklos, Droxia, Hydrea, Hydroxyurea
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 426,012
- Medicare drug cost
- $10.7M
- Average cost per prescription
- $25.08
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 12,264
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
DROXIA is indicated to reduce the frequency of painful crises and to reduce the need for blood transfusions in patients with sickle cell anemia with recurrent moderate to severe painful crises.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated January 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: MYELOSUPPRESSION AND MALIGNANCIES Myelosuppression: DROXIA may cause severe myelosuppression. Do not give if bone marrow function is markedly depressed. Monitor blood counts at baseline and throughout treatment. Interrupt treatment and reduce dose as necessary. Malignancies: DROXIA is carcinogenic. Advise sun protection and monitor patients for malignancies. WARNING: MYELOSUPPRESSION AND MALIGNANCIES See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. Myelosuppression: DROXIA may cause severe myelosuppression. Do not give if bone marrow function is markedly depressed. Monitor blood counts at baseline and throughout treatment. Interrupt treatment and reduce dose as necessary. Malignancies: DROXIA is carcinogenic. Advise sun protection and monitor patients for malignancies.
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Hematology & Oncology 53.3%
- Nurse Practitioners 16.6%
- Medical Oncology 12.9%
- Physician Assistants 5.3%
- Internal Medicine 4.8%
- Hematology 3.7%
- Family Medicine 2.1%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.4%
- General Practice 0.2%
- Hospitalist 0.2%
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine 0.1%
- Pediatric Hematology & Oncology 0.1%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 22% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Maryland +44%
- Oregon +38%
- Washington +36%
- Virginia +32%
- Michigan +29%
- Connecticut (smallest change) +11%
- Georgia (smallest change) +13%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
American Health PAckaging
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | pink capsule, 19 mm | 724 PAR |
H2-Pharma LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 200 mg | turquoise capsule, 16 mm | DROXIA 200 DROXIA 200 |
| 300 mg | purple capsule, 19 mm | DROXIA 300 DROXIA 300 |
| 400 mg | orange capsule, 22 mm | DROXIA 400 DROXIA 400 |
Major Pharmaceuticals
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | pink capsule, 19 mm | 724 PAR |
Par Health USA, LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | pink capsule, 19 mm | 724 PAR |
Yunigen, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mg | white round tablet, 6 mm | SCM |
| 500 mg | white oval tablet, 16 mm | SC SC |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $4,380 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Rare Disease Therapeutics, Inc. $3,007
- Medunik USA Inc. $1,373
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
No FDA-reported recalls since 2020.
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.