Two medicines, side by side
Alendronate vs anastrozole
Alendronate is labeled for osteoporosis; anastrozole for breast cancer. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alendronate since 1995 and of anastrozole since 1995. Pharmacies paid $0.256 per alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet and $0.142 per anastrozole 1 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 anastrozole an aromatase inhibitor.
Check it at the source: the alendronate FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 12, 2026); the anastrozole FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 2, 2026).
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 anastrozole record
Anastrozole (Arimidex) · label of March 2, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsARIMIDEX is an aromatase inhibitor indicated for: • Adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer ( 1.1 ) • First-line treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer ( 1.2 ) • Treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following tamoxifen therapy. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 27, 1995
- Generic labelers
- 24 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.142 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Alendronate label of March 12, 2026, Anastrozole label of March 2, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alendronate and anastrozole differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, alendronate is a bisphosphonate and anastrozole an aromatase inhibitor.
How each works, in its label's words: Alendronate, “Animal studies have indicated the following mode of action.”; Anastrozole, “The growth of many cancers of the breast is stimulated or maintained by estrogens.”
Generics: alendronate since 2008; anastrozole since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alendronate | Anastrozole | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Osteoporosis | Breast cancer |
| Pharmacologic class | Bisphosphonate | Aromatase Inhibitor |
| 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. | The growth of many cancers of the breast is stimulated or maintained by estrogens. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | The mean elimination half-life of anastrozole is 50 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | September 29, 1995 | December 27, 1995 |
| First generic approved | February 6, 2008 | June 28, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 16 labelers | 24 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.256 per tablet (Alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet) | $0.142 per tablet (Anastrozole 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | +3% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 100,325 | 36,521 |
| 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