Two medicines, side by side
Loxapine vs olanzapine
Loxapine and olanzapine are both labeled for schizophrenia. Drugs@FDA records approvals of loxapine since 1975 and of olanzapine since 1996. Pharmacies paid $0.468 per loxapine 10 mg capsule and $0.147 per olanzapine 20 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the loxapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 26, 2025); the olanzapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 5, 2026).
Highlights of the loxapine record
Loxapine (Loxitane) · label of February 26, 2025
Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients.
Used for
From the label: indicationsLoxapine capsules are indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The efficacy of loxapine in schizophrenia was established in clinical studies which enrolled newly hospitalized and chronically hospitalized acutely ill schizophrenic patients as subjects.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 25, 1975
- Generic labelers
- 7 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.468 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 8
Highlights of the olanzapine record
Olanzapine (Zyprexa) · label of March 5, 2026
INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients.
Used for
From the label: indicationsOlanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated: As oral formulation for the: · Treatment of schizophrenia. ( 1.1 ) · Adults: Efficacy was established in three clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia: two 6-week trials and one maintenance trial. ( 14.1 ) · Adolescents (ages 13-17): Efficacy was established in one 6-week trial in patients with schizophrenia ( 14.1 ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 30, 1996
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.147 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 14
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Loxapine label of February 26, 2025, Olanzapine label of March 5, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do loxapine and olanzapine differ on the record?
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: loxapine since 1988; olanzapine since 2011 (Drugs@FDA).
| Loxapine | Olanzapine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Depression |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Atypical Antipsychotic |
| How it works (label) | n/a | The mechanism of action of olanzapine, in the listed indications is unclear. However, the efficacy of olanzapine in schizophrenia could be mediated through a combination of dopamine and serotonin type 2 (5HT 2 ) antagonism. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | Its half-life ranges from 21 to 54 hours (5th to 95th percentile; mean of 30 hr), and apparent plasma clearance ranges from 12 to 47 L/hr (5th to 95th percentile; mean of 25 L/hr). |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 25, 1975 | September 30, 1996 |
| First generic approved | June 15, 1988 | October 24, 2011 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 7 labelers | 43 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.468 per capsule (Loxapine 10 mg capsule) | $0.147 per tablet (Olanzapine 20 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +1% | -5% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 8 | 14 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 3,837 | 107,881 |
| 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 do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Loxapine label, warningsTherefore, ambulatory patients should be warned about activities requiring alertness (e.g., operating vehicles or machinery) and about concomitant use of alcohol and other CNS depressants.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to loxapine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions