Two medicines, side by side
Acamprosate vs aclidinium
Acamprosate is labeled for alcohol use disorder; aclidinium for copd. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of acamprosate since 2004 and of aclidinium since 2012. Pharmacies paid $0.589 per acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet and $344.55 per unit (Tudorza pressair 400 mcg inhal) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ and one is a brand and one a generic, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the acamprosate FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 14, 2026); the aclidinium FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 1, 2022).
Highlights of the acamprosate record
Acamprosate (Campral) · label of July 14, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsAcamprosate calcium is indicated for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation. Treatment with acamprosate calcium should be part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 29, 2004
- Generic labelers
- 10 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.589 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the aclidinium record
Aclidinium (Tudorza Pressair) · label of August 1, 2022
Used for
From the label: indicationsTUDORZA® PRESSAIR® (aclidinium bromide inhalation powder) is indicated for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). TUDORZA PRESSAIR is an anticholinergic indicated for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 23, 2012
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $344.55 per unit
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Acamprosate label of July 14, 2026, Aclidinium label of August 1, 2022); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do acamprosate and aclidinium differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Acamprosate, “Chronic alcohol exposure is hypothesized to alter the normal balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition.”; Aclidinium, “It has similar affinity to the subtypes of muscarinic receptors M 1 to M 5 .”
Half-life, in each label's words: Acamprosate, “Elimination After oral dosing of 2 x 333 mg of acamprosate calcium, the terminal half-life ranges from approximately 20 …”; Aclidinium, “After dry powder inhalation, urinary excretion of aclidinium is about 0.09% of the dose and the estimated effective …”
Generics: acamprosate since 2013; aclidinium none approved (Drugs@FDA).
| Acamprosate | Aclidinium | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Alcohol use disorder | COPD |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Anticholinergic |
| How it works (label) | The mechanism of action of acamprosate in maintenance of alcohol abstinence is not completely understood. Chronic alcohol exposure is hypothesized to alter the normal balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. | Aclidinium bromide is a long-acting antimuscarinic agent, which is often referred to as an anticholinergic. It has similar affinity to the subtypes of muscarinic receptors M 1 to M 5 . |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination After oral dosing of 2 x 333 mg of acamprosate calcium, the terminal half-life ranges from approximately 20 to 33 hours. | After dry powder inhalation, urinary excretion of aclidinium is about 0.09% of the dose and the estimated effective half-life is 5 to 8 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 29, 2004 | July 23, 2012 |
| First generic approved | July 16, 2013 | none |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 10 labelers | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.589 per tablet (Acamprosate calc DR 333 mg tablet) | $344.55 per unit (Tudorza pressair 400 mcg inhal) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | n/a |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 322 | 6,373 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Aclidinium label, drug interactionsAvoid administrations of TUDORZA PRESSAIR with other anticholinergic-containing drugs.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to acamprosate
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions