Two medicines, side by side
Loxapine vs quetiapine
Loxapine and quetiapine are both labeled for schizophrenia. Drugs@FDA records approvals of loxapine since 1975 and of quetiapine since 1997. Pharmacies paid $0.468 per loxapine 10 mg capsule and $0.127 per quetiapine fumarate 300 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 quetiapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 10, 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 quetiapine record
Quetiapine (Seroquel) · label of April 10, 2026
INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS; and SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS 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 [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. SEROQUEL is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsSEROQUEL is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of: • Schizophrenia ( 1.1 ) • Bipolar I disorder manic episodes (1.2) • Bipolar disorder, depressive episodes (1.2) 1.1 Schizophrenia SEROQUEL is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The efficacy of SEROQUEL in schizophrenia was established in three 6-week trials in adults and one 6-week trial in adolescents (13-17 years). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 26, 1997
- Generic labelers
- 48 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.127 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 10
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Loxapine label of February 26, 2025, Quetiapine label of April 10, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do loxapine and quetiapine differ on the record?
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: loxapine since 1988; quetiapine since 2012 (Drugs@FDA).
| Loxapine | Quetiapine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Depression |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Atypical Antipsychotic |
| How it works (label) | n/a | The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear. However, the efficacy of quetiapine in these indications could be mediated through a combination of dopamine type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin type 2 (5HT 2 ) antagonism. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the proposed clinical dose range. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 25, 1975 | September 26, 1997 |
| First generic approved | June 15, 1988 | March 27, 2012 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 7 labelers | 48 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.468 per capsule (Loxapine 10 mg capsule) | $0.127 per tablet (Quetiapine fumarate 300 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +1% | -9% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 8 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 3,837 | 191,480 |
| 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