Two medicines, side by side
Bisoprolol vs verapamil
Bisoprolol and verapamil are both labeled for high blood pressure. Drugs@FDA records approvals of bisoprolol since 1992 and of verapamil since 1981. Pharmacies paid $0.114 per bisoprolol fumarate 5 mg tablet and $0.191 per verapamil ER 180 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 verapamil a calcium channel blocker.
Check it at the source: the bisoprolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 11, 2026); the verapamil FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 6, 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 verapamil record
Verapamil (Isoptin) · label of April 6, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsVerapamil hydrochloride extended-release tablets are indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal 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 this drug. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 12, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.191 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Bisoprolol label of March 11, 2026, Verapamil label of April 6, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do bisoprolol and verapamil differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, bisoprolol is a beta-adrenergic blocker and verapamil a calcium channel blocker.
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 …”; Verapamil, “The mean elimination half-life in single-dose studies ranged from 2.8 to 7.4 hours.”
Generics: bisoprolol since 2000; verapamil since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
| Bisoprolol | Verapamil | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High blood pressure | High blood pressure, Atrial fibrillation, Angina |
| Pharmacologic class | beta-Adrenergic Blocker | Calcium Channel Blocker |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Mechanism of action Essential hypertension: Verapamil exerts antihypertensive effects by decreasing systemic vascular resistance, usually without orthostatic decreases in blood pressure or reflex tachycardia; … |
| 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 mean elimination half-life in single-dose studies ranged from 2.8 to 7.4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | July 31, 1992 | August 12, 1981 |
| First generic approved | November 16, 2000 | November 12, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 24 labelers | 43 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.114 per tablet (Bisoprolol fumarate 5 mg tablet) | $0.191 per tablet (Verapamil ER 180 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -39% | +7% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 135,060 | 4,242 |
| 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