Two medicines, side by side
Prednisolone vs levocetirizine
Prednisolone and levocetirizine are both labeled for allergies. Drugs@FDA records approvals of prednisolone since 1955 and of levocetirizine since 2007. Pharmacies paid $4.72 per mL (Prednisolone ac 1% eye drop) and $0.0511 per levocetirizine 5 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Prednisolone's other strengths are brand-only: $30.66 per mL (Pred mild 0.12% eye drops). In FDA's classes, prednisolone is a corticosteroid and levocetirizine a histamine-1 receptor antagonist.
Check it at the source: the prednisolone FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 25, 2026); the levocetirizine FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 11, 2026).
Highlights of the prednisolone record
Prednisolone (Pred) · label of June 25, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsPrednisolone Sodium Phosphate Oral Solution is indicated in the following conditions: 1. Allergic States Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in adult and pediatric populations with: seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis; asthma; contact dermatitis; atopic dermatitis; serum sickness; drug hypersensitivity reactions. 2. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 22, 1955
- Generic labelers
- 25 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $4.72 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 9
Highlights of the levocetirizine record
Levocetirizine (Xyzal) · label of March 11, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationstemporarily relieves these symptoms due to hay fever or other respiratory allergies: runny nose sneezing itchy, watery eyes itching of the nose or throat
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 25, 2007
- Generic labelers
- 53 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0511 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Prednisolone label of June 25, 2026, Levocetirizine label of March 11, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do prednisolone and levocetirizine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, prednisolone is a corticosteroid and levocetirizine a histamine-1 receptor antagonist.
Generics: prednisolone since 1971; levocetirizine since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Prednisolone | Levocetirizine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anemia, Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, Multiple sclerosis, Osteoarthritis, Asthma, Allergies, Herpes and shingles, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, Eczema (atopic dermatitis), Organ transplant rejection | Allergies |
| Pharmacologic class | Corticosteroid | Histamine-1 Receptor Antagonist |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Prednisolone is 70-90% protein-bound in the plasma and it is eliminated from the plasma with a half-life of 2 to 4 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | May 22, 1955 | May 25, 2007 |
| First generic approved | November 24, 1971 | November 26, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 25 labelers | 53 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $4.72 per mL (Prednisolone ac 1% eye drop) | $0.0511 per tablet (Levocetirizine 5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +4% | -8% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 9 | 1 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 191,407 | 23,887 |
| 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 prednisolone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions