Two medicines, side by side
Desloratadine vs diphenhydramine
Desloratadine and diphenhydramine are both labeled for allergies. Drugs@FDA records approvals of desloratadine since 2001 and of diphenhydramine since 1946. Pharmacies paid $0.258 per desloratadine 5 mg tablet and $0.898 per mL (Diphenhydramine 50 mg/mL vial) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the desloratadine FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 17, 2025); the diphenhydramine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 18, 2025).
Highlights of the desloratadine record
Desloratadine (Clarinex) · label of May 17, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsCLARINEX is a histamine-1 (H1) receptor antagonist indicated for: Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: relief of nasal and non-nasal symptoms in patients 2 years of age and older. ( 1.1 ) Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: relief of nasal and non-nasal symptoms in patients 6 months of age and older. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 21, 2001
- Generic labelers
- 9 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.258 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 1
Highlights of the diphenhydramine record
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) · label of November 18, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsDiphenhydramine hydrochloride injection, USP is effective in adults and pediatric patients, other than premature infants and neonates, for the following conditions when the oral form is impractical. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- March 4, 1946
- Generic labelers
- 20 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.898 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 8
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Desloratadine label of May 17, 2025, Diphenhydramine label of November 18, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do desloratadine and diphenhydramine differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class histamine-1 receptor antagonists.
Generics: desloratadine since 2010; diphenhydramine since 1972 (Drugs@FDA).
| Desloratadine | Diphenhydramine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Allergies | Cough and cold, Allergies, Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Histamine-1 Receptor Antagonist | Histamine-1 Receptor Antagonist |
| How it works (label) | Desloratadine is a long-acting tricyclic histamine antagonist with selective H 1 -receptor histamine antagonist activity. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | pproximately 6% of subjects were poor metabolizers of desloratadine (defined as a subject with an AUC ratio of 3-hydroxydesloratadine to desloratadine less than 0.1, or a subject with a desloratadine half-life exceeding … | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 21, 2001 | March 4, 1946 |
| First generic approved | February 19, 2010 | May 9, 1972 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 9 labelers | 20 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.258 per tablet (Desloratadine 5 mg tablet) | $0.898 per mL (Diphenhydramine 50 mg/mL vial) |
| 12-month price change | -13% | +0.8% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 1 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,661 | 164,832 |
| 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 desloratadine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions