Two medicines, side by side
Clindamycin vs moxifloxacin
Clindamycin and moxifloxacin are both labeled for bacterial infections. Drugs@FDA records approvals of clindamycin since 1970 and of moxifloxacin since 1999. Pharmacies paid $0.137 per gram (Clindamycin ph 1% gel) and $1.60 per mL (Moxifloxacin 0.5% eye drops) (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 moxifloxacin a fluoroquinolone antibacterial.
Check it at the source: the clindamycin FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 10, 2026); the moxifloxacin FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 17, 2026).
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 moxifloxacin record
Moxifloxacin (Avelox) · label of March 17, 2026
SERIOUS ADVERSE REACTIONS INCLUDING TENDINITIS, TENDON RUPTURE, PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM EFFECTS andEXACERBATION OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS Fluoroquinolones, including moxifloxacin tablets, have been associated with disabling and potentially irreversible serious adverse reactions that have occurred together [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )], including: Tendinitis and tendon rupture [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Peripheral neuropathy [see Warnings and Precautions (
Used for
From the label: indicationsMoxifloxacin tablets are a fluoroquinolone antibacterial indicated for treating infections in adults 18 years of age and older caused by designated susceptible bacteria, in the conditions listed below: Community Acquired Pneumonia ( 1.1 ) Skin and Skin Structure Infections: Uncomplicated ( 1.2 ) and Complicated ( 1.3 ) Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections ( 1.4 ) Plague ( 1.5 ) Acute Bacterial Sinusitis ( 1.6 ) […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 10, 1999
- Generic labelers
- 32 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $1.60 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 10
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Clindamycin label of March 10, 2026, Moxifloxacin label of March 17, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do clindamycin and moxifloxacin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, clindamycin is a lincosamide antibacterial and moxifloxacin a fluoroquinolone antibacterial.
Half-life, in each label's words: Clindamycin, “Excretion The average biological half-life is 2.4 hours.”; Moxifloxacin, “The mean (± SD) elimination half-life from plasma is 12 ± 1.3 hours; steady-state is achieved after at least three days …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: clindamycin since 1982; moxifloxacin since 2014 (Drugs@FDA).
| Clindamycin | Moxifloxacin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bacterial infections, Acne | Bacterial infections |
| Pharmacologic class | Lincosamide Antibacterial | Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial, Quinolone Antimicrobial |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Moxifloxacin 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 (± SD) elimination half-life from plasma is 12 ± 1.3 hours; steady-state is achieved after at least three days with a 400 mg once daily regimen. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 22, 1970 | December 10, 1999 |
| First generic approved | February 8, 1982 | February 18, 2014 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 60 labelers | 32 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.137 per gram (Clindamycin ph 1% gel) | $1.60 per mL (Moxifloxacin 0.5% eye drops) |
| 12-month price change | -10% | -14% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 24 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 8,968 | 20,168 |
| 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