Two medicines, side by side
Bisoprolol vs enalapril
Bisoprolol and enalapril are both labeled for high blood pressure. Drugs@FDA records approvals of bisoprolol since 1992 and of enalapril since 1985. Pharmacies paid $0.114 per bisoprolol fumarate 5 mg tablet and $0.0664 per enalapril maleate 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, bisoprolol is a beta-adrenergic blocker and enalapril an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.
Check it at the source: the bisoprolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 11, 2026); the enalapril FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 23, 2026).
Highlights of the bisoprolol record
Bisoprolol (Zebeta) · label of March 11, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsBisoprolol fumarate tablets are indicated in the management of hypertension. It may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 31, 1992
- Generic labelers
- 24 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.114 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 2
Highlights of the enalapril record
Enalapril (Vasotec) · label of January 23, 2026
FETAL TOXICITY See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.
When pregnancy is detected, discontinue VASOTEC ® as soon as possible.
Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus (see WARNINGS, Fetal Toxicity ).
Used for
From the label: indicationsHypertension VASOTEC is indicated for the treatment of hypertension. VASOTEC is effective alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents, especially thiazide-type diuretics. The blood pressure lowering effects of VASOTEC and thiazides are approximately additive. Heart Failure VASOTEC is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic congestive heart failure, usually in combination with diuretics and digitalis. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 24, 1985
- Generic labelers
- 28 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0664 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 17
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Bisoprolol label of March 11, 2026, Enalapril label of January 23, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do bisoprolol and enalapril differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, bisoprolol is a beta-adrenergic blocker and enalapril an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.
Half-life, in each label's words: Bisoprolol, “The plasma elimination half-life is 9 to 12 hours and is slightly longer in elderly patients, in part because of …”; Enalapril, “The effective half-life for accumulation of enalaprilat following multiple doses of enalapril maleate is 11 hours.”
Only the enalapril label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: bisoprolol since 2000; enalapril since 2000 (Drugs@FDA).
| Bisoprolol | Enalapril | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High blood pressure | High blood pressure, Heart failure |
| Pharmacologic class | beta-Adrenergic Blocker | Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Mechanism of Action Enalapril, after hydrolysis to enalaprilat, inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in human subjects and animals. |
| Half-life (label) | The plasma elimination half-life is 9 to 12 hours and is slightly longer in elderly patients, in part because of decreased renal function in that population. | The effective half-life for accumulation of enalaprilat following multiple doses of enalapril maleate is 11 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 31, 1992 | December 24, 1985 |
| First generic approved | November 16, 2000 | August 22, 2000 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 24 labelers | 28 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.114 per tablet (Bisoprolol fumarate 5 mg tablet) | $0.0664 per tablet (Enalapril maleate 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -39% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 17 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 135,060 | 60,702 |
| 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 bisoprolol
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions