Two medicines, side by side
Alfuzosin vs mirabegron
Alfuzosin is labeled for enlarged prostate (bph); mirabegron for overactive bladder. Their labels share no use, so they are not alternatives to each other. Drugs@FDA records approvals of alfuzosin since 2003 and of mirabegron since 2012. Pharmacies paid $0.105 per alfuzosin HCl ER 10 mg tablet and $9.39 per mirabegron ER 50 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, alfuzosin is an alpha-adrenergic blocker and mirabegron a beta3-adrenergic agonist.
Check it at the source: the alfuzosin FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 5, 2024); the mirabegron FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 24, 2025).
Highlights of the alfuzosin record
Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) · label of December 5, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsUROXATRAL is indicated for the treatment of signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. UROXATRAL is an alpha adrenergic antagonist, indicated for the treatment of signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. ( 1 ) Important Limitations of Use: UROXATRAL is not indicated for treatment of hypertension. ( 1.1 ) UROXATRAL is not indicated for use in the pediatric population. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 12, 2003
- Generic labelers
- 10 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.105 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the mirabegron record
Mirabegron (Myrbetriq) · label of December 24, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsMirabegron extended-release tablets are beta-3 adrenergic agonist indicated for the treatment of: Overactive bladder (OAB) in adult patients with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency, and urinary frequency. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 28, 2012
- Generic labelers
- 8 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $9.39 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Alfuzosin label of December 5, 2024, Mirabegron label of December 24, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do alfuzosin and mirabegron differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, alfuzosin is an alpha-adrenergic blocker and mirabegron a beta3-adrenergic agonist.
How each works, in its label's words: Alfuzosin, “Alfuzosin is a selective antagonist of post-synaptic alpha 1 -adrenoreceptors, which are located in the prostate, bladder base, bladder neck, prostatic capsule, and prostatic urethra.”; Mirabegron, “Mirabegron is an agonist of the human beta-3 adrenergic receptor (AR) as demonstrated by in vitro laboratory experiments using the cloned human beta-3 AR.”
Half-life, in each label's words: Alfuzosin, “Following oral administration of UROXATRAL 10 mg tablets, the apparent elimination half-life is 10 hours.”; Mirabegron, “Elimination Mirabegron Extended-Release Tablets Monotherapy for Adult OAB: The terminal elimination half-life (t 1/2 ) …”
Generics: alfuzosin since 2011; mirabegron since 2019 (Drugs@FDA).
| Alfuzosin | Mirabegron | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Enlarged prostate (BPH) | Overactive bladder |
| Pharmacologic class | alpha-Adrenergic Blocker | beta3-Adrenergic Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Alfuzosin is a selective antagonist of post-synaptic alpha 1 -adrenoreceptors, which are located in the prostate, bladder base, bladder neck, prostatic capsule, and prostatic urethra. | Mirabegron is an agonist of the human beta-3 adrenergic receptor (AR) as demonstrated by in vitro laboratory experiments using the cloned human beta-3 AR. |
| Half-life (label) | Following oral administration of UROXATRAL 10 mg tablets, the apparent elimination half-life is 10 hours. | Elimination Mirabegron Extended-Release Tablets Monotherapy for Adult OAB: The terminal elimination half-life (t 1/2 ) of mirabegron is approximately 50 hours in patients. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 12, 2003 | June 28, 2012 |
| First generic approved | July 18, 2011 | December 27, 2019 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 10 labelers | 8 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.105 per tablet (Alfuzosin HCl ER 10 mg tablet) | $9.39 per tablet (Mirabegron ER 50 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -0.1% | -2% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 1 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 5,746 | 38,466 |
| 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 alfuzosin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions