Two medicines, side by side
Fentanyl vs morphine
Fentanyl and morphine are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of fentanyl since 1968 and of morphine since 1984. Pharmacies paid $1.79 per mL (Fentanyl 100 mcg/2 mL vial) and $0.226 per morphine sulfate ir 15 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Fentanyl, “Fentanyl Citrate Injection is an opioid agonist, whose principal actions of therapeutic value are analgesia and sedation.”; Morphine, “Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Check it at the source: the fentanyl FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 6, 2026); the morphine FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 13, 2026).
Highlights of the fentanyl record
Fentanyl (Sublimaze) · label of March 6, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF FENTANYL CITRATE INJECTION Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of Fentanyl Citrate Injection exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsFentanyl Citrate Injection is indicated for: analgesic action of short duration during the anesthetic periods, premedication, induction and maintenance, and in the immediate postoperative period (recovery room) as the need arises. use as a narcotic analgesic supplement in general or regional anesthesia. administration with a neuroleptic as an anesthetic premedication, for the induction of anesthesia and as an […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 19, 1968
- Generic labelers
- 6 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $1.79 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 111
Highlights of the morphine record
Morphine (Duramorph) · label of July 13, 2026
ADDICTION, ABUSE, AND MISUSE; RISK EVALUATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGY (REMS); LIFE-THREATENING RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION; ACCIDENTAL INGESTION; NEONATAL OPIOID WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME; and RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH BENZODIAZEPINES OR OTHER CNS DEPRESSANTS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Morphine sulfate exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death.
Used for
From the label: indicationsMorphine sulfate extended-release tablets are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 18, 1984
- Generic labelers
- 22 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.226 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 66
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Fentanyl label of March 6, 2026, Morphine label of July 13, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do fentanyl and morphine differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Fentanyl, “Fentanyl Citrate Injection is an opioid agonist, whose principal actions of therapeutic value are analgesia and sedation.”; Morphine, “Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses.”
Both are in FDA's class opioid agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Fentanyl, “Elimination The terminal elimination half-life is 219 minutes.”; Morphine, “Excretion The elimination of morphine occurs primarily as renal excretion of M3G and its effective half-life after …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: fentanyl since 1990; morphine since 1986 (Drugs@FDA).
| Fentanyl | Morphine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain | Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Fentanyl Citrate Injection is an opioid agonist, whose principal actions of therapeutic value are analgesia and sedation. | Morphine is a full opioid agonist is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of morphine is analgesia. |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination The terminal elimination half-life is 219 minutes. | Excretion The elimination of morphine occurs primarily as renal excretion of M3G and its effective half-life after intravenous administration is normally 2 to 4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 19, 1968 | September 18, 1984 |
| First generic approved | April 30, 1990 | October 7, 1986 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 6 labelers | 22 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $1.79 per mL (Fentanyl 100 mcg/2 mL vial) | $0.226 per tablet (Morphine sulfate ir 15 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +76% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 111 | 66 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 114,879 | 120,591 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CII |
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 do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Fentanyl label, warnings and precautionsProfound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death may result from the concomitant use of Fentanyl Citrate Injection with benzodiazepines and/or other CNS depressants, including alcohol (e.g., non-benzodiazepine sedatives/hypnotics, anxiolytics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids [gabapentin or pregabalin], and other opioids).
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to fentanyl
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions