Two medicines, side by side
Doxycycline vs rifampin
Doxycycline is labeled for urinary tract infections, bacterial infections and acne; rifampin has no indication this site maps. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of doxycycline since 1967 and of rifampin since 1971. Pharmacies paid $0.118 per doxycycline hyclate 100 mg tablet and $0.679 per rifampin 300 mg capsule (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Doxycycline's other strengths are brand-only: $18.18 per Doryx mpc DR 60 mg tablet. In FDA's classes, doxycycline is a tetracycline-class drug and rifampin a rifamycin antibacterial.
Check it at the source: the doxycycline FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 25, 2025); the rifampin FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 11, 2026).
Highlights of the doxycycline record
Doxycycline (Vibramycin) · label of July 25, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsTo reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain effectiveness of doxycycline capsules and other antibacterial drugs, doxycycline capsules should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria. When culture and susceptibility information are available, they should be considered in selecting or modifying antibacterial therapy. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 5, 1967
- Generic labelers
- 83 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.118 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 19
Highlights of the rifampin record
Rifampin (Rifadin) · label of February 11, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsIn the treatment of both tuberculosis and the meningococcal carrier state, the small number of resistant cells present within large populations of susceptible cells can rapidly become the predominant type. Bacteriologic cultures should be obtained before the start of therapy to confirm the susceptibility of the organism to rifampin and they should be repeated throughout therapy to monitor the response to treatment. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 21, 1971
- Generic labelers
- 13 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.679 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 14
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Doxycycline label of July 25, 2025, Rifampin label of February 11, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do doxycycline and rifampin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, doxycycline is a tetracycline-class drug and rifampin a rifamycin antibacterial.
Half-life, in each label's words: Doxycycline, “1.62 0.95 0.37 0.15 (μg/mL) Average Observed Values Maximum Concentration 3.61 μg/mL (± 0.9 sd) Time of Maximum …”; Rifampin, “In healthy adults, the mean biological half-life of rifampin in serum averages 3.35 ± 0.66 hours after a 600 mg oral …”
Generics: doxycycline since 1973; rifampin since 1997 (Drugs@FDA).
| Doxycycline | Rifampin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Urinary tract infections, Bacterial infections, Acne | n/a |
| Pharmacologic class | Tetracycline-class Drug | Rifamycin Antibacterial |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | 1.62 0.95 0.37 0.15 (μg/mL) Average Observed Values Maximum Concentration 3.61 μg/mL (± 0.9 sd) Time of Maximum Concentration 2.60 hr (± 1.10 sd) Elimination Rate Constant 0.049 per hr (± 0.030 sd) Half-Life 16.33 hr (± … | In healthy adults, the mean biological half-life of rifampin in serum averages 3.35 ± 0.66 hours after a 600 mg oral dose, with increases up to 5.08 ± 2.45 hours reported after a 900 mg dose. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 5, 1967 | May 21, 1971 |
| First generic approved | June 18, 1973 | May 28, 1997 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 83 labelers | 13 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.118 per tablet (Doxycycline hyclate 100 mg tablet) | $0.679 per capsule (Rifampin 300 mg capsule) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | -4% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 19 | 14 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 69,571 | 14,511 |
| 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 doxycycline
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions