Tafluprost eye drops (Zioptan)

How Medicare covers it

Part D (forms used at home). Part A during a covered inpatient stay. No Part B clinician-administered form in the CMS Part B spending file.

What it treats

Tafluprost eye drops are used to reduce high pressure inside the eye in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (high eye pressure). Lowering that pressure helps protect vision.

What it is for, in depth

Tafluprost is prescribed to lower raised pressure inside the eye in adults with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, which is the use stated in the label's indications section. The label extract does not say where it fits in a longer treatment path. It comes as a preservative-free ophthalmic solution, 0.0015% (tafluprost 0.015 mg/mL), supplied in single-dose containers of 0.3 mL each, with 10 containers per foil pouch and 30 in a unit-of-use carton.

How it works

The label extract does not explain how this drug works. Its clinical pharmacology section is blank in the extract; the description section only says tafluprost is a fluorinated analog of prostaglandin F2alpha, a prostaglandin-like substance.

How it is taken

The label extract does not list dosage instructions. Its dosage section is empty in the extract. The how-supplied section says the drops come in single-dose containers, with 0.3 mL of solution in each container, packaged in foil pouches.

Common side effects

The label extract does not list common side effects. Its adverse reactions section is blank in the extract.

Serious warnings

The label extract does not list warnings. It contains no warnings section, so no serious warning can be stated from the extract.

Who should be careful

The label extract does not list groups who need extra care. Its specific-populations section is blank in the extract, and the contraindications section says 'None.'

Major interactions

The label extract does not list drug interactions. It contains no drug interactions section.

Cost and saving notes

Tafluprost is available as a generic eye drop as well as the brand-name product Zioptan, and a generic is usually placed on a lower Part D tier. If your plan puts this drug on a tier with a high cost share, you or your doctor can ask the plan for a tier exception to charge it at a lower tier when the drug is medically needed. If you have limited income, you may qualify for Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy), which lowers Part D premiums and drug costs. Under Medicare Part D there is an annual out-of-pocket cap: once your true out-of-pocket drug costs reach the cap for the year, you pay nothing for covered Part D drugs for the rest of that year.

Why it is in its tier

Tafluprost eye drops (Zioptan) sits on Tier 4 in 48.86% of the plans that list it (43 of 88 listing plans). Tier 4 is the non-preferred tier — higher copays or coinsurance. The data-visible drivers: It is sold both as a brand product and in generic form, and the CMS dashboard puts its average Part D spending at about $787 per beneficiary for 2024 — a relatively low-cost drug, which matches where plans place it. Only 1.6% of Part D plans list it at all, so many readers will find their plan does not list it and covers a similar drug instead. The tier shown is the most common one; individual plans vary.

Sources

• ZIOPTAN (TAFLUPROST) SOLUTION/ DROPS [THEA PHARMA INC.] — DailyMed
• MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine
• MedlinePlus

What official patient guides say

MedlinePlus says tafluprost is placed in the affected eye or eyes once a day in the evening, at around the same time every evening. Each single-use container should be used right after opening for one or both eyes, then thrown away with any leftover solution. The drops control glaucoma and high eye pressure but do not cure them, so keep using them even if you feel well and do not stop without talking to your doctor. If you miss an evening dose, use it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for the next dose; never use a double dose. Store unopened foil pouches in the refrigerator, keep opened pouches at room temperature, throw away unused containers more than 30 days after the pouch was first opened, and take contact lenses out before use, waiting 15 minutes before putting them back in.

Source: MedlinePlus

Part D formulary coverage

Source: CMS Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files — Monthly file 2026-10-15 (plan year 2027), file 2027_20261008.zip (data.cms.gov dataset ed1496ea-23e7-41f1-9292-172fa842ccfb): basic drugs formulary file + plan information file, both dated 20261031 inside the zip; downloaded and aggregated 2026-10-30. Medication RxCUI sets resolved through the NLM RxNav (RxNorm) API.

What you pay

Without insurance, the cash benchmark is $2.3465 per unit (TAFLUPROST 0.0015% EYE DROP) — about $70.40 for 30 units. NADAC benchmark — the average price pharmacies pay (CMS, as of 2026-11-04). Pharmacy shelf prices vary.

A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.

Sources: CMS Plan Benefit Package + formulary data; CMS NADAC · Checked 2026-11-08

Coverage by plan and tier

Of the 5,495 Medicare drug plans we track for 2027, 88 list Tafluprost eye drops (Zioptan) — 1.6% of plans. Most of those plans put it on Tier 4: 43 plans, 48.9% of the plans that list it. Other plans place it on Tier 2 (21 plans), Tier 3 (13 plans) or Tier 1 (11 plans). For example: Geisinger Gold Secure Rx (HMO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 3; Personal Choice 65 Rx (PPO) puts it on Tier 4; Geisinger Gold Preferred Advantage Rx (PPO) puts it on Tier 3. You can compare these plans side by side on our Medicare Advantage hub. A tier is not a price. What you pay also depends on whether you have met your plan's deductible, whether the drug costs a flat copay or a share of the price, and whether you get Extra Help or Medicaid.

Read next

• Part D in 2027: The $700 Deductible, the $2,400 Cap, and the $35 Insulin Rule
• Extra Help in 2027: Lower Drug Copays and Who Qualifies
• Checking Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

Part D spending averages (2024)

Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug (Drug Spending Dashboard), release RY26 P04 V10, data through 2024 (DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv), downloaded 2026-10-30

Companies covering this drug

Part D and Medicare Advantage plan sponsors that list this drug on a formulary, 50 at a time.