Brimonidine was patented in 1972 and came into medical use in 1996.[3] It is available as a generic medication.[4] One milliliter in the United Kingdom costs the NHS about 1.13 £ as of 2019.[4] In the United States the wholesale cost of this amount is about US$0.60.[5] In 2017, it was the 167th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than three million prescriptions.[6][7]