Two medicines, side by side
Zonisamide vs lacosamide
Zonisamide and lacosamide are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of zonisamide since 2000 and of lacosamide since 2008. Pharmacies paid $0.106 per zonisamide 100 mg capsule and $0.174 per lacosamide 100 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026). Zonisamide's other strengths are brand-only: $2.75 per mL (Zonisade 100 mg/5 mL oral suspension).
Check it at the source: the zonisamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 4, 2026); the lacosamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 12, 2026).
Highlights of the zonisamide record
Zonisamide (Zonegran) · label of June 4, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsZonisamide is indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in adults with epilepsy.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- March 27, 2000
- Generic labelers
- 20 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.106 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 11
Highlights of the lacosamide record
Lacosamide (Vimpat) · label of May 12, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsVIMPAT is indicated for: Treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older ( 1.1 ) Adjunctive therapy in the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients 4 years of age and older ( 1.2 ) 1.1 Partial-Onset Seizures VIMPAT is indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older. 1.2 Primary Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures VIMPAT is indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients 4 years of age and older. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 28, 2008
- Generic labelers
- 57 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.174 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 8
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Zonisamide label of June 4, 2026, Lacosamide label of May 12, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do zonisamide and lacosamide differ on the record?
Half-life, in each label's words: Zonisamide, “The elimination half-life of zonisamide in plasma is approximately 63 hours.”; Lacosamide, “The maximum lacosamide plasma concentrations occur approximately 1-to-4-hour post-dose after oral dosing, and …”
Generics: zonisamide since 2005; lacosamide since 2022 (Drugs@FDA).
DEA schedule: zonisamide none; lacosamide CV.
| Zonisamide | Lacosamide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy | Seizures and epilepsy |
| Pharmacologic class | Anti-epileptic Agent | n/a |
| How it works (label) | n/a | The precise mechanism by which VIMPAT exerts its antiepileptic effects in humans remains to be fully elucidated. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of zonisamide in plasma is approximately 63 hours. | The maximum lacosamide plasma concentrations occur approximately 1-to-4-hour post-dose after oral dosing, and elimination half-life is approximately 13 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | March 27, 2000 | October 28, 2008 |
| First generic approved | December 22, 2005 | March 17, 2022 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 20 labelers | 57 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.106 per capsule (Zonisamide 100 mg capsule) | $0.174 per tablet (Lacosamide 100 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -15% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 11 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,560 | 36,995 |
| DEA schedule | none | CV |
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 zonisamide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions