Two medicines, side by side
Dasatinib vs imatinib
Dasatinib and imatinib are both labeled for leukemia and lymphoma and myeloma. Drugs@FDA records approvals of dasatinib since 2006 and of imatinib since 2001. Pharmacies paid $26.46 per dasatinib 100 mg tablet and $0.624 per imatinib mesylate 100 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026). How each works, in its label's words: Dasatinib, “Dasatinib, at nanomolar concentrations, inhibits the following kinases: BCR-ABL, SRC family (SRC, LCK, YES, FYN), c-KIT, EPHA2, and PDGFRβ.”; Imatinib, “Imatinib mesylate is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, the constitutive abnormal tyrosine kinase created by the Philadelphia chromosome abnormality in CML.”
Check it at the source: the dasatinib FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 12, 2025); the imatinib FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 8, 2026).
Highlights of the dasatinib record
Dasatinib (Sprycel) · label of November 12, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsDasatinib tablet is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase. chronic, accelerated, or myeloid or lymphoid blast phase Ph+ CML with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy including imatinib. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 28, 2006
- Generic labelers
- 14 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $26.46 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the imatinib record
Imatinib (Gleevec) · label of September 8, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsImatinib mesylate is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of: • Newly diagnosed adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase ( 1.1 ) • Patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in blast crisis (BC), accelerated phase (AP), or in chronic phase (CP) after failure of interferon-alpha therapy ( 1.2 […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 10, 2001
- Generic labelers
- 20 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.624 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Dasatinib label of November 12, 2025, Imatinib label of September 8, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do dasatinib and imatinib differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Dasatinib, “Dasatinib, at nanomolar concentrations, inhibits the following kinases: BCR-ABL, SRC family (SRC, LCK, YES, FYN), c-KIT, EPHA2, and PDGFRβ.”; Imatinib, “Imatinib mesylate is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, the constitutive abnormal tyrosine kinase created by the Philadelphia chromosome abnormality in CML.”
Both are in FDA's class kinase inhibitors.
Half-life, in each label's words: Dasatinib, “Elimination The mean terminal half-life of dasatinib is 3 hours to 5 hours.”; Imatinib, “Apparent oral clearance was similar to adult values (11.0 L/hr/m 2 in children vs 10.0 L/hr/m 2 in adults), as was the …”
Generics: dasatinib since 2016; imatinib since 2015 (Drugs@FDA).
| Dasatinib | Imatinib | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma | Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma |
| Pharmacologic class | Kinase Inhibitor | Kinase Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | Dasatinib, at nanomolar concentrations, inhibits the following kinases: BCR-ABL, SRC family (SRC, LCK, YES, FYN), c-KIT, EPHA2, and PDGFRβ. | Imatinib mesylate is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, the constitutive abnormal tyrosine kinase created by the Philadelphia chromosome abnormality in CML. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The mean terminal half-life of dasatinib is 3 hours to 5 hours. | Apparent oral clearance was similar to adult values (11.0 L/hr/m 2 in children vs 10.0 L/hr/m 2 in adults), as was the half-life (14.8 hours in children vs 17.1 hours in adults). |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 28, 2006 | May 10, 2001 |
| First generic approved | June 10, 2016 | December 3, 2015 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 14 labelers | 20 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $26.46 per tablet (Dasatinib 100 mg tablet) | $0.624 per tablet (Imatinib mesylate 100 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -86% | -32% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 9,103 | 41,417 |
| 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 dasatinib
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions