abaloparatide vs teriparatide
Side-by-side comparison of abaloparatide and teriparatide Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Tymlos
Forteo
Tymlos is a medicine to treat osteoporosis. It helps make your bones stronger and less likely to break.
Teriparatide (Forteo) is a medicine that helps to strengthen your bones. It is similar to a natural hormone in your body that helps build bone.
Tymlos treats osteoporosis in women after menopause and in men. It is for people who have a high chance of breaking a bone. This includes those who have already had a bone break due to osteoporosis or have other risk factors. It can also be used if other osteoporosis treatments did not work or could not be tolerated.
This medicine treats osteoporosis in women after menopause who have a high chance of breaking a bone. This means you have broken a bone before due to osteoporosis or have other things that make you likely to break a bone. It can also treat osteoporosis in men and in people taking steroid medicines like prednisone.
Tymlos is similar to a natural hormone in your body. It helps your body build new bone. This makes your bones stronger and less likely to break.
Teriparatide works like a hormone called parathyroid hormone. This hormone helps your body build new bone. By building new bone, this medicine helps make your bones stronger and less likely to break.
- • High calcium in your urine
- • Feeling dizzy
- • Feeling sick to your stomach
- • Headache
- • Feeling your heart beat fast or irregularly
- • Joint pain
- • General pain
- • Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)
- Headache 4,180
- Feeling sick to your stomach 3,222
- Feeling dizzy 3,122
- Feeling tired 2,742
- Increased heart rate 2,139
- Feeling sick to your stomach 8,958
- Joint pain 8,658
- Pain in your arms or legs 8,339
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 8,265
- Accidental fall 7,872
Tymlos may increase the risk of bone cancer (osteosarcoma). You should not take this medicine if you have certain conditions that increase this risk. These include Paget's disease, bone cancer, radiation treatment to your bones, or certain hereditary disorders. If you have symptoms of feeling dizzy, palpitations, tachycardia, or nausea, you should sit or lie down.
This medicine may increase your risk of a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. You should not use this medicine if you have certain bone conditions, such as Paget's disease, bone cancer, or have had radiation to your bones. If you have high calcium levels in your blood, talk to your doctor before taking this medicine.
Tymlos is not for women who could get pregnant. It is not known if Tymlos can harm an unborn baby or pass into breast milk.
It is not known if this medicine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Breastfeeding is not recommended while using this medicine.
How to Read This abaloparatide vs teriparatide Comparison
abaloparatide is classified in the PTHrP Analog drug class, while teriparatide sits within the Parathyroid Hormone Analog class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, abaloparatide has 15,405 submissions while teriparatide has 42,092. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between abaloparatide and teriparatide — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.