Medications
Cefazolin sodium injection
A first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic given by injection or IV infusion in hospitals, clinics, and home infusion for bacterial infections and to prevent infection during surgery.
How Medicare covers it
Part B (injection/infusion given by a clinician — see the Part B basis in this package; the usual path for this drug). The Part D aggregation in this package is carried exactly as computed — the formulary file carries the injection concepts. Part A during a covered inpatient stay.
| Coverage details | |
|---|---|
| Part B status | CMS Part B Spending by Drug HCPCS file (RY26, data through 2024) carries J0687, J0688, and J0690 (cefazolin sodium injections): the clinician-administered path is Part B; the formulary-file concepts are also the Part D aggregation in this package. The file's J0689 row is cefazolin sodium/dextrose, a premixed combination product, and is explicitly NOT matched. |
| Medicare Advantage | Most Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage (MAPD plans) use the same formulary-and-tier system; the plan's own drug list decides coverage and copay — check the plan's formulary. |
| Medicare Supplement (Medigap) | Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans sold today do not include prescription drug coverage; drug coverage comes from Part D or an MAPD plan. |
What it treats
Cefazolin injection treats serious bacterial infections, including infections of the lungs and airways, urinary tract, skin, bile tract, bones and joints, and genitals, as well as bloodstream infection (septicemia) and heart valve infection (endocarditis). It is also given around the time of surgery to help prevent infection after surgery.
What it is for, in depth
Cefazolin for Injection is a first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic supplied as a powder in vials (500 mg or 1 gram) that is mixed into solution for injection or infusion. It is prescribed for serious infections caused by bacteria it can kill — respiratory tract, urinary tract, skin and skin structure, biliary tract, bone and joint, and genital infections, plus septicemia and endocarditis — and it has a major role in preventing infection around surgery, given just before, during, and for about a day after higher-risk operations, sometimes 3 to 5 days for open-heart surgery or joint replacement. The label stresses it should be used only for infections proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria, to slow drug resistance.
How it works
Cefazolin is a cephalosporin antibiotic that kills bacteria by blocking the building of the bacterial cell wall. The label lists the bacteria it works against, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Klebsiella species, and notes that methicillin-resistant staphylococci are resistant to it.
How it is taken
This drug is given by injection or infusion by a clinician — into a vein (IV) or into a muscle (IM) — in a hospital, clinic, or similar care setting; it is not self-administered as a home tablet. For surgery prevention, the label describes a dose 30 minutes to 1 hour before surgery, doses during longer operations, and doses every 6 to 8 hours for 24 hours after surgery.
Common side effects
This label does not include an adverse reactions section, so no list of common side effects can be taken from this label. Do not rely on side-effect lists from other sources for this package — ask the care team what to watch for.
Serious warnings
This label does not include a warnings section. Its safety limit stated in the label is the contraindication: it must not be used in patients with a known allergy to the cephalosporin group of antibiotics.
Who should be careful
People with a known allergy to cephalosporin antibiotics must not receive it. The dose must be lowered for people with reduced kidney function — the label gives smaller, more widely spaced doses as kidney function (creatinine clearance) falls — and the label says safety in premature infants and newborns has not been established, so it is not recommended for them.
Major interactions
This label does not include a drug interactions section, so no interactions are listed in this label.
Cost and saving notes
Cefazolin is usually covered through the Part B clinician-administered path — an injection or infusion given by a clinician — rather than as a home Part D drug, and Part A can apply during a covered inpatient stay, as the package record states. Because it is given in a care setting, there is no Part D tier to appeal; cost questions are about the Part B or inpatient billing for the visit or stay.
Why it is in its tier
Cefazolin sodium injection sits on Tier 4 in 61.31% of the plans that list it (3369 of 5495 listing plans). Tier 4 is the non-preferred tier — higher copays or coinsurance. The data-visible drivers: It is a generic product, and the CMS dashboard puts its average Part D spending at about $218 per beneficiary for 2024 — a relatively low-cost drug, which matches where plans place it. It is listed by 100.0% of Part D plans. The tier shown is the most common one; individual plans vary.
Sources
- CEFAZOLIN INJECTION, POWDER, FOR SOLUTION [HENRY SCHEIN, INC.] — DailyMed
- MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine
- MedlinePlus — Cefazolin Injection
What official patient guides say
MedlinePlus explains that you may receive cefazolin injection in a hospital, given into a vein usually over about 30 minutes or into a muscle, every 6, 8, or 12 hours depending on the infection. It advises finishing the full course even if you feel better, because stopping early can leave the infection partly treated and make the bacteria harder to kill later.
Part D formulary coverage
| Formulary summary | |
|---|---|
| Most common tier | 4 |
| Plans listing this drug | 5495 |
| Total Part D plans | 5495 |
| Share of plans listing it | 100 |
| Formularies listing it | 286 |
| Tier | Plans |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 131 plans |
| Tier 2 | 986 plans |
| Tier 3 | 986 plans |
| Tier 4 | 3369 plans |
| Tier 6 | 23 plans |
Source: CMS Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files — Monthly file 2026-10-15 (plan year 2027), file 2027_20261008.zip (data.cms.gov dataset ed1496ea-23e7-41f1-9292-172fa842ccfb): basic drugs formulary file + plan information file, both dated 20261031 inside the zip; downloaded and aggregated 2026-10-30. Medication RxCUI sets resolved through the NLM RxNav (RxNorm) API.
What you pay
| With Medicare Part D | |
|---|---|
| Most common tier | Tier 4 |
| Typical copay | $95 — half of plans charge between $75 and $100 |
| Typical coinsurance | 26.0% of the price |
| Based on | 3323 plans that cover this drug · 2027 plan year |
Without insurance, the cash benchmark is $1.0719 per unit (CEFAZOLIN 1 GM VIAL) — about $32.16 for 30 units. NADAC benchmark — the average price pharmacies pay (CMS, as of 2026-11-04). Pharmacy shelf prices vary.
A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.
Sources: CMS Plan Benefit Package + formulary data; CMS NADAC · Checked 2026-11-07
Similar medications
Other medications in the same FDA pharmacologic class (Cephalosporin Antibacterial):
- Cefaclor
- Cefadroxil (Duricef and others)
- Cefdinir (Omnicef and others)
- Cefepime injection (Maxipime and others)
- Cefixime (Suprax and others)
- Cefotetan
- Cefoxitin
- Cefpodoxime (Vantin and others)
- Ceftaroline fosamil (Teflaro)
- Ceftazidime (Tazicef, Fortaz)
- Ceftazidime / avibactam (Avycaz)
- Ceftobiprole Medocaril (Zevtera)
Read next
Part D spending averages (2024)
| Brand name | Generic name | Total claims 2024 | Total spending 2024 | Total beneficiaries 2024 | Rank by beneficiaries 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cefazolin Sodium* | Cefazolin Sodium | 82069 | 4.37164e+06 | 20069 | 791 |
Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug (Drug Spending Dashboard), release RY26 P04 V10, data through 2024 (DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv), downloaded 2026-10-30
Companies covering this drug
5,495 plans from 509 companies list this drug on a formulary for 2027. Search by company or plan name, or filter by tier. Cost sharing is the plan's published amount for this drug's tier in the initial coverage stage (1-month retail supply), where the plan publishes it; a blank means the plan does not publish it.
| Company | Plan | Tier | Copay | Coinsurance |
|---|
A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.
Coverage and costs change. Drug lists (formularies), tiers, and copays can change during the year and differ by plan. Always check with your insurance company or plan directly to confirm what is covered and what you will pay.
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