Two medicines, side by side
Brivaracetam vs clonazepam
Brivaracetam and clonazepam are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of brivaracetam since 2016 and of clonazepam since 1975. Pharmacies paid $0.259 per brivaracetam 100 mg tablet and $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Only the clonazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the brivaracetam FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 20, 2026); the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025).
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 clonazepam record
Clonazepam (Klonopin) · label of December 1, 2025
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: indicationsSeizure Disorders Klonopin is useful alone or as an adjunct in the treatment of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (petit mal variant), akinetic, and myoclonic seizures. In patients with absence seizures (petit mal) who have failed to respond to succinimides, Klonopin may be useful. Some loss of effect may occur during the course of clonazepam treatment (see PRECAUTIONS: Loss of Effect ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 4, 1975
- Generic labelers
- 31 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0244 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Brivaracetam label of August 20, 2026, Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do brivaracetam and clonazepam differ on the record?
Only the clonazepam label carries a boxed warning.
Half-life, in each label's words: Brivaracetam, “The terminal plasma half-life (t 1/2 ) is approximately 9 hours.”; Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”
Generics: brivaracetam since 2022; clonazepam since 1996 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: brivaracetam CV; clonazepam CIV.
| Brivaracetam | Clonazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | The precise mechanism by which BRIVIACT exerts its anticonvulsant activity is not known. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | The terminal plasma half-life (t 1/2 ) is approximately 9 hours. | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 18, 2016 | June 4, 1975 |
| First generic approved | June 9, 2022 | September 10, 1996 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 16 labelers | 31 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.259 per tablet (Brivaracetam 100 mg tablet) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | n/a | -14% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 8,940 | 159,283 |
| 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 next?
- Alternatives to brivaracetam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions