Two medicines, side by side
Alendronate vs atorvastatin
Alendronate is labeled for osteoporosis; atorvastatin for high cholesterol, angina and high triglycerides. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alendronate since 1995 and of atorvastatin since 1996. Pharmacies paid $0.256 per alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet and $0.0228 per atorvastatin 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Atorvastatin's other strengths are brand-only: $1.23 per mL (Atorvaliq 20 mg/5 mL suspension). In FDA's classes, alendronate is a bisphosphonate and atorvastatin a hmg-coa reductase inhibitor.
Check it at the source: the alendronate FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 12, 2026); the atorvastatin FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 15, 2024).
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 atorvastatin record
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) · label of April 15, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsLIPITOR is indicated: • To reduce the risk of: o Myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, revascularization procedures, and angina in adults with multiple risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) but without clinically evident CHD o MI and stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus with multiple risk factors for CHD but without clinically evident CHD o Non-fatal MI, fatal and non-fatal stroke, revascularization […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 17, 1996
- Generic labelers
- 59 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0228 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 53
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Alendronate label of March 12, 2026, Atorvastatin label of April 15, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alendronate and atorvastatin differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, alendronate is a bisphosphonate and atorvastatin a hmg-coa reductase inhibitor.
How each works, in its label's words: Alendronate, “Animal studies have indicated the following mode of action.”; Atorvastatin, “LIPITOR is a selective, competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme that converts 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, a precursor of sterols, including …”
Generics: alendronate since 2008; atorvastatin since 2011 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alendronate | Atorvastatin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Osteoporosis | High cholesterol, Angina, High triglycerides, Heart attack and coronary artery disease |
| Pharmacologic class | Bisphosphonate | HMG-CoA Reductase 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. | LIPITOR is a selective, competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme that converts 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, a precursor of sterols, including cholesterol. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | Mean plasma elimination half-life of LIPITOR in humans is approximately 14 hours, but the half-life of inhibitory activity for HMG-CoA reductase is 20 to 30 hours due to the contribution of active metabolites. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | September 29, 1995 | December 17, 1996 |
| First generic approved | February 6, 2008 | November 30, 2011 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 16 labelers | 59 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.256 per tablet (Alendronate sodium 70 mg tablet) | $0.0228 per tablet (Atorvastatin 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -2% | -8% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 53 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 100,325 | 245,894 |
| 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