Cephalexin for oral suspension
Reason category: Impurities (e.g. nitrosamines)
FDA recall number D-0469-2025
Antibiotic
Cephalexin 500 mg capsule
Public data on cephalexin from CMS and FDA: what pharmacies have paid for it, how many generic applications FDA has approved, and whether it appears in FDA's shortage or recall records.
$0.1168
NADAC per ea (2026-11)
approximate acquisition cost, not a retail price
-3%
change over five years
peak $0.1479 in 2023-12
44
approved generic applications (ANDAs) on record for Cephalexin
15 with a product still marketed · first 1976
Not listed
in FDA's current shortage list
no matching FDA shortage entries
NADAC per unit, monthly
CEPHALEXIN 500 MG CAPSULEShow as table
| Month | NADAC per unit ($) |
|---|---|
| 2013-11 | 0.10642 |
| 2014-02 | 0.11950 |
| 2014-05 | 0.10739 |
| 2014-08 | 0.09742 |
| 2014-11 | 0.09910 |
| 2015-02 | 0.09170 |
| 2015-05 | 0.09391 |
| 2015-08 | 0.09249 |
| 2015-11 | 0.08805 |
| 2016-02 | 0.08458 |
| 2016-05 | 0.08775 |
| 2016-08 | 0.08477 |
| 2016-11 | 0.08350 |
| 2017-02 | 0.08295 |
| 2017-05 | 0.08403 |
| 2017-08 | 0.08746 |
| 2017-11 | 0.09029 |
| 2018-02 | 0.08749 |
| 2018-05 | 0.08395 |
| 2018-08 | 0.08647 |
| 2018-11 | 0.08453 |
| 2019-02 | 0.09248 |
| 2019-05 | 0.10427 |
| 2019-08 | 0.10989 |
| 2019-11 | 0.10750 |
| 2020-02 | 0.10654 |
| 2020-05 | 0.11019 |
| 2020-08 | 0.10577 |
| 2020-11 | 0.12566 |
| 2021-02 | 0.12321 |
| 2021-05 | 0.12820 |
| 2021-08 | 0.12967 |
| 2021-11 | 0.12005 |
| 2022-02 | 0.11462 |
| 2022-05 | 0.12406 |
| 2022-08 | 0.13311 |
| 2022-11 | 0.13073 |
| 2023-02 | 0.13015 |
| 2023-05 | 0.12733 |
| 2023-08 | 0.12631 |
| 2023-11 | 0.14194 |
| 2024-02 | 0.14435 |
| 2024-05 | 0.12409 |
| 2024-08 | 0.12490 |
| 2024-11 | 0.10918 |
| 2025-02 | 0.11479 |
| 2025-05 | 0.12835 |
| 2025-08 | 0.13073 |
| 2025-11 | 0.12710 |
| 2026-02 | 0.12188 |
| 2026-05 | 0.12163 |
| 2026-08 | 0.12068 |
| 2026-11 | 0.11681 |
Source: CMS NADAC weekly files, generic rows, monthly median of weekly averages · data as of 2026-11. Figures can change and may contain errors in the source data. Check the original source before relying on them.
Recall records mentioning cephalexin
openFDA enforcement records, by year reported.
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2014 | 3 |
24 records since 2012. A record is one product or lot, not one recall event. Combination products that contain cephalexin are included.
What these numbers mean
NADAC is what retail pharmacies pay on average to buy the drug, published by CMS. It does not include rebates and is not what you pay at the counter. ANDA counts include all strengths and forms and applications whose products are now discontinued.
Most recent recall records
Cephalexin for oral suspension
Reason category: Impurities (e.g. nitrosamines)
FDA recall number D-0468-2025
Cephalexin oral suspension
Reason category: Labeling or packaging error
FDA recall number D-0538-2024
Cephalexin oral suspension
Reason category: Labeling or packaging error
FDA recall number D-0540-2024
Cephalexin oral suspension
Reason category: Labeling or packaging error
FDA recall number D-0536-2024
Not health advice. GxRadar is for general information only. Nothing here is medical, pharmacy, legal or financial advice. Do not start, stop or change any medicine based on this site. Talk to your pharmacist or prescriber about your own situation.
Articles that mention cephalexin
6 GxRadar articles cite or discuss this drug.
Price histories · Data story · 6 min
The generics that cost pharmacies more than they did in 2014
Most generics in GxRadar's 47-drug basket got cheaper. Seven cost pharmacies more than in January 2014, led by furosemide at 2.8 times its 2014 price. What federal cost and shortage data show, drug by drug.
Price histories · Data story · 5 min
Nitrofurantoin and the antibiotic price story
Pharmacies paid $1.77 for a nitrofurantoin capsule in January 2014 and 28 cents in October 2026. How six oral antibiotics' prices diverged, why competition explains much of it, and where shortages fit.
Distribution · Explainer · 6 min
Repackagers and relabelers, the firms that put generics in new bottles
How federal rules define repackagers and relabelers, why their NDCs and expiration dates differ from the original, and what FDA's NDC and recall data show about them.
Price histories · Data story · 6 min
The GxRadar generic price index
We priced a fixed basket of 43 common generics every month since January 2014. By October 2026 the index stood at 47.4, down about 53 percent. How it works, and where it can mislead.
Notable shortages · History · 5 min
The amoxicillin shortage of 2022 and 2023
FDA declared a shortage of liquid amoxicillin on Oct. 28, 2022, during a surge of respiratory illness in children. What FDA said caused it, what it did, how prescribing shifted and what pharmacies paid.
Causes & tracking · Explainer · 6 min
Why antibiotics keep running short
Seven anti-infectives were on FDA's current shortage list in October 2026, one of them since 2015, and 30 more had discontinuation notices. Low prices and few makers explain much of it, federal research shows.