Cephalexin
Brand names: Cephalexin
Part of: Common antibiotics
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 5,677,028
- Medicare drug cost
- $42.9M
- Average cost per prescription
- $7.55
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 185,451
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Cephalexin capsules USP is a cephalosporin antibacterial drug indicated for the treatment of the following infections caused by susceptible isolates of designated bacteria Respiratory tract infection Otitis media Skin and skin structure infections Bone infections Genitourinary tract infections To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of cephalexin capsules USP and other antibacterial drugs, cephalexin capsules USP should be used only to treat infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Nurse Practitioners 19.3%
- Family Medicine 15.6%
- Physician Assistants 15.5%
- Emergency Medicine 9.7%
- Internal Medicine 9.7%
- Urology 5.8%
- Dermatology 3.3%
- Podiatrists 3.0%
- Orthopedic Surgery 2.5%
- Dentists (general) 2.3%
- Mohs Surgery 1.9%
- Infectious Disease 1.1%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 15% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Utah +44%
- Alaska +37%
- South Dakota +33%
- North Dakota +30%
- Idaho +30%
- California (smallest change) −0%
- Puerto Rico (smallest change) +0%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 3 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 250 mg | green capsule, 18 mm | 250 LUPIN |
| 500 mg | green capsule, 22 mm | 500 LUPIN |
Nucare Pharmaceuticals,inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | green capsule, 22 mm | 219 |
Remedyrepack Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | green capsule, 21 mm | A 43 500 MG |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
5 recalls since 2020
- May 2024 · Bryant Ranch Prepack, Inc. · Class III
Labeling: Not Elsewhere Classified: Back Label states Each contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 5g' on the back label instead of Each Bottle contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 5g' - May 2024 · Bryant Ranch Prepack, Inc. · Class III
Labeling: Not Elsewhere Classified: Back label states Each contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 2.5g' instead of Each Bottle contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 5g - May 2024 · Bryant Ranch Prepack, Inc. · Class III
Labeling: Not Elsewhere Classified: Front label states 100 Tablets instead of 100 ml and on the back label 'Each Tablet contains' instead of 'Each Bottle contains' No total dose per bottle listed should be 2.5 g' - May 2024 · Bryant Ranch Prepack, Inc. · Class III
Labeling: Not Elsewhere Classified: Back Label states 'Each contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 5g' instead of Each Bottle contains: cephalexin monohydrate, USP equivalent to 10g' - Apr 2021 · Preferred Pharmaceuticals, Inc. · Class II
Failed Impurities/degradation specifications: Repackager recall due to Out of Specification detected by manufacturer for Individual Unidentified Impurity found during related substance test analysis of Cephalexin
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.