Two medicines, side by side
Levetiracetam vs phenobarbital
Levetiracetam and phenobarbital are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of levetiracetam since 1999 and of phenobarbital since 2022. Pharmacies paid $0.0736 per levetiracetam 500 mg tablet and $0.213 per phenobarbital 100 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the levetiracetam FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 28, 2026); the phenobarbital FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 27, 2026).
Highlights of the levetiracetam record
Levetiracetam (Keppra) · label of January 28, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsKEPPRA is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older ( 1.1 ) KEPPRA is indicated for adjunctive therapy for the treatment of: Myoclonic seizures in patients 12 years of age and older with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy ( 1.2 ) Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients 6 years of age and older with idiopathic generalized epilepsy ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Partial-Onset […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 30, 1999
- Generic labelers
- 84 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0736 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 15
Highlights of the phenobarbital record
Phenobarbital (Sezaby) · label of August 27, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsSedative Anticonvulsant – For the treatment of generalized and partial seizures.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 17, 2022
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.213 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 9
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Levetiracetam label of January 28, 2026, Phenobarbital label of August 27, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do levetiracetam and phenobarbital differ on the record?
Half-life, in each label's words: Levetiracetam, “Following oral administration of twice-daily dosing for 10 days, total body clearance decreased by 38% and the …”; Phenobarbital, “The plasma half-life for phenobarbital in adults ranges between 53 and 118 hours with a mean of 79 hours.”
Generics: levetiracetam since 2008; phenobarbital none approved (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: levetiracetam none; phenobarbital CIV.
| Levetiracetam | Phenobarbital | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy | Seizures and epilepsy |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | n/a |
| How it works (label) | The precise mechanism(s) by which levetiracetam exerts its antiepileptic effect is unknown. A saturable and stereoselective neuronal binding site in rat brain tissue has been described for levetiracetam. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Following oral administration of twice-daily dosing for 10 days, total body clearance decreased by 38% and the half-life was 2.5 hours longer in the elderly compared to healthy adults. | The plasma half-life for phenobarbital in adults ranges between 53 and 118 hours with a mean of 79 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | November 30, 1999 | November 17, 2022 |
| First generic approved | November 4, 2008 | none |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 84 labelers | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0736 per tablet (Levetiracetam 500 mg tablet) | $0.213 per tablet (Phenobarbital 100 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -5% | -18% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 15 | 9 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 132,823 | 402 |
| DEA schedule | none | 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 levetiracetam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions