Cephalosporins compared

Compare all 10 cephalosporins side by side, used for conditions such as bronchitis, escherichia coli infections, gonorrhea. Cephalosporins are the Cephalosporin Antibacterial class. They share one FDA-defined mechanism but differ in approved uses, prescription status, brand-vs-generic options, price, and FDA recall-safety record — which our independent rating scores. The highest-rated is cefixime.

Top-rated cephalosporin antibacterial: 1. Cefixime · 2. Cefotan · 3. Fetroja

Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs compared side by side, with pharmaranks' FDA recall-safety rating
Drug	Generic	Form	Status	Used for	Safety ratingFDA recall-based	Pharmacy pays
Cefixime	—	Capsule	Prescription	Bronchitis, Escherichia Coli Infections	72/100	$10
Cefotan	Cefotetan Disodium	Injectable	Prescription	Abscess, Bacteroides Infections	70/100	—
Fetroja	Cefiderocol Sulfate Tosylate	Injectable	Prescription	Bacterial Infections, Pyelonephritis	70/100	—
Cefazolin and Dextrose	Cefazolin Sodium	Solution	Prescription	Bites, Human, Endocarditis, Bacterial	Not yet rated	$30
Cefazolin Sodium	—	Injectable	Prescription	Bites, Human, Endocarditis, Bacterial	Not yet rated	$30
Cefepime Hydrochloride	—	Injectable	Prescription	Acinetobacter Infections, Bacteroides Infections	Not yet rated	$112
Cefoxitin	Cefoxitin Sodium	Injectable	Prescription	Abscess, Bacteroides Infections	Not yet rated	—
Ceftriaxone	Ceftriaxone Sodium	Injectable	Prescription	Acinetobacter Infections, Bone Diseases, Infectious	Not yet rated	$43
Ceftriaxone and Dextrose in Duplex Container	Ceftriaxone Sodium	Injectable	Prescription	Acinetobacter Infections, Bone Diseases, Infectious	Not yet rated	$43
Zevtera	Ceftobiprole Medocaril Sodium	Injectable	Prescription	Pneumonia, Pneumonia, Staphylococcal	Not yet rated	—

The safety rating column is unique to pharmaranks — an independent 0–100 score from FDA regulatory recall data. Higher is safer. Not medical advice.

Best cephalosporin antibacterial by condition

for escherichia coli infections for gonorrhea for haemophilus infections for klebsiella infections

Full ranking · 10 drugs

Frequently asked questions

What is the Cephalosporin Antibacterial drug class?

Cephalosporin Antibacterial is an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class (EPC) — a group of drugs that share a mechanism of action. pharmaranks lists 10 Cephalosporin Antibacterial products, each independently rated.

Are all Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs the same?

No. Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs share the same core mechanism — that is why they sit in one FDA class — but they differ in their approved uses, available forms, whether they are prescription or over-the-counter, brand-vs-generic options and price, and their FDA recall-safety record.

Is "cephalosporins" the same as the Cephalosporin Antibacterial class?

Yes — "cephalosporins" is the everyday name for the Cephalosporin Antibacterial drug class. This page compares the 10 cephalosporins pharmaranks rates, with our independent FDA recall-safety score for each.

What conditions do Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs treat?

Per NIH RxClass drug-classification data, Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs are used for conditions including bronchitis, escherichia coli infections, gonorrhea, haemophilus infections, klebsiella infections, otitis media.

Which Cephalosporin Antibacterial drug is best-rated?

By our independent rating, cefixime currently ranks highest among Cephalosporin Antibacterial drugs. Ratings are based on FDA regulatory (recall-safety) data — always consult a professional.

Sources: the Cephalosporin Antibacterial class definition and its member drugs come from the U.S. NLM RxClass (Established Pharmacologic Class); how the class works is summarized from Cephalosporins - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. Ratings are pharmaranks’ independent FDA recall-safety analysis.