Two medicines, side by side
Atenolol vs carvedilol
Atenolol and carvedilol are both labeled for high blood pressure. Drugs@FDA records approvals of atenolol since 1981 and of carvedilol since 1995. Pharmacies paid $0.0217 per atenolol 25 mg tablet and $0.0179 per carvedilol 6.25 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, atenolol is a beta-adrenergic blocker and carvedilol an alpha-adrenergic blocker.
Check it at the source: the atenolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 18, 2025); the carvedilol FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 31, 2026).
Highlights of the atenolol record
Atenolol (Tenormin) · label of September 18, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsHypertension TENORMIN is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure lowers the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions. These benefits have been seen in controlled trials of antihypertensive drugs from a wide variety of pharmacologic classes including atenolol. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 19, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 35 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0217 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Highlights of the carvedilol record
Carvedilol (Coreg) · label of July 31, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsINDICATIONS AND USAGE COREG is an alpha-/beta-adrenergic blocking agent indicated for the treatment of: mild to severe chronic heart failure ( 1.1 ) left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction in clinically stable patients ( 1.2 ) hypertension ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Heart Failure COREG is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-severe chronic heart failure of ischemic or cardiomyopathic origin, usually in […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 14, 1995
- Generic labelers
- 41 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0179 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 22
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Atenolol label of September 18, 2025, Carvedilol label of July 31, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do atenolol and carvedilol differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, atenolol is a beta-adrenergic blocker and carvedilol an alpha-adrenergic blocker.
Half-life, in each label's words: Atenolol, “The elimination half-life of oral TENORMIN is approximately 6 to 7 hours, and there is no alteration of the kinetic …”; Carvedilol, “Following oral administration, the apparent mean terminal elimination half-life of carvedilol generally ranges from 7 …”
Generics: atenolol since 1988; carvedilol since 2007 (Drugs@FDA).
| Atenolol | Carvedilol | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High blood pressure, Angina, Heart attack and coronary artery disease | Heart failure, High blood pressure |
| Pharmacologic class | beta-Adrenergic Blocker | alpha-Adrenergic Blocker, beta-Adrenergic Blocker |
| How it works (label) | n/a | COREG is a racemic mixture in which nonselective β-adrenoreceptor blocking activity is present in the S(-) enantiomer and α1-adrenergic blocking activity is present in both R(+) and S(-) enantiomers at equal potency. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of oral TENORMIN is approximately 6 to 7 hours, and there is no alteration of the kinetic profile of the drug by chronic administration. | Following oral administration, the apparent mean terminal elimination half-life of carvedilol generally ranges from 7 to 10 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | August 19, 1981 | September 14, 1995 |
| First generic approved | July 15, 1988 | September 5, 2007 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 35 labelers | 41 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0217 per tablet (Atenolol 25 mg tablet) | $0.0179 per tablet (Carvedilol 6.25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -3% | -4% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 4 | 22 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 132,491 | 137,029 |
| 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 atenolol
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions