Two medicines, side by side
Brivaracetam vs clobazam
Brivaracetam is labeled for seizures and epilepsy; clobazam has no indication this site maps. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of brivaracetam since 2016 and of clobazam since 2011. Pharmacies paid $0.259 per brivaracetam 100 mg tablet and $0.243 per clobazam 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Only the clobazam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the brivaracetam FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 20, 2026); the clobazam FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 12, 2024).
Highlights of the brivaracetam record
Brivaracetam (Briviact) · label of August 20, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsBRIVIACT is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older. BRIVIACT is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 18, 2016
- Generic labelers
- 16 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.259 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the clobazam record
Clobazam (Onfi) · label of March 12, 2024
RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs for patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsONFI ® (clobazam) is indicated for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients 2 years of age or older. ONFI is a benzodiazepine indicated for adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients 2 years of age or older
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 21, 2011
- Generic labelers
- 16 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.243 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Brivaracetam label of August 20, 2026, Clobazam label of March 12, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do brivaracetam and clobazam differ on the record?
Only the clobazam label carries a boxed warning.
How each works, in its label's words: Brivaracetam, “The precise mechanism by which BRIVIACT exerts its anticonvulsant activity is not known.”; Clobazam, “The exact mechanism of action for clobazam, a 1,5-benzodiazepine, is not fully understood but is thought to involve potentiation of GABAergic neurotransmission resulting from binding at the …”
Generics: brivaracetam since 2022; clobazam since 2018 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: brivaracetam CV; clobazam CIV.
| Brivaracetam | Clobazam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy | n/a |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | The precise mechanism by which BRIVIACT exerts its anticonvulsant activity is not known. | The exact mechanism of action for clobazam, a 1,5-benzodiazepine, is not fully understood but is thought to involve potentiation of GABAergic neurotransmission resulting from binding at the benzodiazepine site of the GABA A receptor. |
| Half-life (label) | The terminal plasma half-life (t 1/2 ) is approximately 9 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 18, 2016 | October 21, 2011 |
| First generic approved | June 9, 2022 | October 22, 2018 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 16 labelers | 16 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.259 per tablet (Brivaracetam 100 mg tablet) | $0.243 per tablet (Clobazam 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | n/a | -3% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 8,940 | 24,270 |
| DEA schedule | CV | CIV |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Clobazam label, drug interactionsDepressants and Alcohol Concomitant use of ONFI with other CNS depressants may increase the risk of sedation and somnolence [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )].
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to brivaracetam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions