Two medicines, side by side
Alendronate vs amlodipine
Alendronate is labeled for osteoporosis; amlodipine for high blood pressure, angina and heart attack and coronary artery disease. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alendronate since 1995 and of amlodipine since 1992. Pharmacies paid $0.256 per alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet and $0.0102 per amlodipine besylate 5 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, alendronate is a bisphosphonate and amlodipine a calcium channel blocker.
Check it at the source: the alendronate FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 12, 2026); the amlodipine FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 15, 2023).
Highlights of the alendronate record
Alendronate (Fosamax) · label of March 12, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsFOSAMAX is a bisphosphonate indicated for: Treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women ( 1.1 , 1.2 ) Treatment to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis ( 1.3 ) Treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis ( 1.4 ) Treatment of Paget's disease of bone ( 1.5 ) Limitations of use: Optimal duration of use has not been determined. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 29, 1995
- Generic labelers
- 16 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.256 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 2
Highlights of the amlodipine record
Amlodipine (Norvasc) · label of February 15, 2023
Used for
From the label: indicationsNORVASC is a calcium channel blocker and may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive and antianginal agents for the treatment of: • Hypertension ( 1.1 ) o NORVASC is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 31, 1992
- Generic labelers
- 42 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0102 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 30
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Alendronate label of March 12, 2026, Amlodipine label of February 15, 2023); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alendronate and amlodipine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, alendronate is a bisphosphonate and amlodipine a calcium channel blocker.
How each works, in its label's words: Alendronate, “Animal studies have indicated the following mode of action.”; Amlodipine, “Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist (calcium ion antagonist or slow‑channel blocker) that inhibits the transmembrane influx of calcium ions into vascular smooth muscle and cardiac …”
Generics: alendronate since 2008; amlodipine since 2005 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alendronate | Amlodipine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Osteoporosis | High blood pressure, Angina, Heart attack and coronary artery disease |
| Pharmacologic class | Bisphosphonate | Calcium Channel Blocker, Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker |
| How it works (label) | Animal studies have indicated the following mode of action. At the cellular level, alendronate shows preferential localization to sites of bone resorption, specifically under osteoclasts. | Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist (calcium ion antagonist or slow‑channel blocker) that inhibits the transmembrane influx of calcium ions into vascular smooth muscle and cardiac muscle. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | September 29, 1995 | July 31, 1992 |
| First generic approved | February 6, 2008 | October 3, 2005 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 16 labelers | 42 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.256 per tablet (Alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet) | $0.0102 per tablet (Amlodipine besylate 5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | -10% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 30 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 100,325 | 409,186 |
| 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 next?
- Alternatives to alendronate
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions