Two medicines, side by side
Galantamine vs memantine
Galantamine and memantine are both labeled for alzheimer's disease. Drugs@FDA records approvals of galantamine since 2001 and of memantine since 2003. Pharmacies paid $0.294 per galantamine hbr 4 mg tablet and $0.063 per memantine HCl 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, galantamine is a cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist.
Check it at the source: the galantamine FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 1, 2026); the memantine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 1, 2018).
Highlights of the galantamine record
Galantamine (Razadyne) · label of June 1, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsGalantamine tablets are indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Galantamine Tables are a cholinesterase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 28, 2001
- Generic labelers
- 9 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.294 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the memantine record
Memantine (Namenda) · label of November 1, 2018
Used for
From the label: indicationsMemantine hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Memantine hydrochloride tablets are an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 16, 2003
- Generic labelers
- 38 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.063 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Galantamine label of June 1, 2026, Memantine label of November 1, 2018); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do galantamine and memantine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, galantamine is a cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist.
How each works, in its label's words: Galantamine, “Although the etiology of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not fully understood, it has been reported that acetylcholine-producing neurons degenerate in the brains of patients with …”; Memantine, “Persistent activation of central nervous system N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by the excitatory amino acid glutamate has been hypothesized to contribute to the symptomatology of Alzheimer’s …”
Generics: galantamine since 2008; memantine since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Galantamine | Memantine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Alzheimer's disease | Alzheimer's disease |
| Pharmacologic class | Cholinesterase Inhibitor | N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Antagonist |
| How it works (label) | Although the etiology of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not fully understood, it has been reported that acetylcholine-producing neurons degenerate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. | Persistent activation of central nervous system N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by the excitatory amino acid glutamate has been hypothesized to contribute to the symptomatology of Alzheimer’s disease. |
| Half-life (label) | Galantamine has a terminal half-life of about 7 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 28, 2001 | October 16, 2003 |
| First generic approved | August 28, 2008 | April 14, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 9 labelers | 38 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.294 per tablet (Galantamine hbr 4 mg tablet) | $0.063 per tablet (Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -10% | -1% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 3,188 | 13,605 |
| 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 galantamine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions