Two medicines, side by side
Clindamycin vs levofloxacin
Clindamycin and levofloxacin are both labeled for bacterial infections. Drugs@FDA records approvals of clindamycin since 1970 and of levofloxacin since 1996. Pharmacies paid $0.137 per gram (Clindamycin ph 1% gel) and $0.259 per levofloxacin 750 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, clindamycin is a lincosamide antibacterial and levofloxacin a fluoroquinolone antibacterial.
Check it at the source: the clindamycin FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 10, 2026); the levofloxacin FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 10, 2024).
Highlights of the clindamycin record
Clindamycin (Cleocin) · label of March 10, 2026
Clostridioides difficile -associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with use of nearly all antibacterial agents, including clindamycin hydrochloride and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis. Treatment with antibacterial agents alters the normal flora of the colon, leading to overgrowth of C. difficile.
Used for
From the label: indicationsClindamycin is indicated in the treatment of serious infections caused by susceptible anaerobic bacteria. Clindamycin is also indicated in the treatment of serious infections due to susceptible strains of streptococci, pneumococci, and staphylococci. Its use should be reserved for penicillin-allergic patients or other patients for whom, in the judgment of the physician, a penicillin is inappropriate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 22, 1970
- Generic labelers
- 60 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.137 per gram
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 24
Highlights of the levofloxacin record
Levofloxacin (Levaquin) · label of July 10, 2024
SERIOUS ADVERSE REACTIONS INCLUDING TENDINITIS, TENDON RUPTURE, PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM EFFECTS AND EXACERBATION OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.
Used for
From the label: indicationsLevofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibacterial indicated in adults (18 years of age and older) with infections caused by designated, susceptible bacteria and in pediatric patients where indicated ( 1 , 12.4 ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 20, 1996
- Generic labelers
- 44 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.259 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 13
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Clindamycin label of March 10, 2026, Levofloxacin label of July 10, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do clindamycin and levofloxacin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, clindamycin is a lincosamide antibacterial and levofloxacin a fluoroquinolone antibacterial.
Half-life, in each label's words: Clindamycin, “Excretion The average biological half-life is 2.4 hours.”; Levofloxacin, “The mean terminal plasma elimination half-life of levofloxacin ranges from approximately 6 to 8 hours following single …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: clindamycin since 1982; levofloxacin since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Clindamycin | Levofloxacin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bacterial infections, Acne | Bacterial infections, Urinary tract infections |
| Pharmacologic class | Lincosamide Antibacterial | Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Levofloxacin is a member of the fluoroquinolone class of antibacterial agents [see Microbiology ( 12.4 )]. |
| Half-life (label) | Excretion The average biological half-life is 2.4 hours. | The mean terminal plasma elimination half-life of levofloxacin ranges from approximately 6 to 8 hours following single or multiple doses of levofloxacin given orally or intravenously. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 22, 1970 | December 20, 1996 |
| First generic approved | February 8, 1982 | December 20, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 60 labelers | 44 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.137 per gram (Clindamycin ph 1% gel) | $0.259 per tablet (Levofloxacin 750 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -10% | -11% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 24 | 13 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 8,968 | 59,954 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
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 clindamycin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions