Two medicines, side by side
Hydroxychloroquine vs sulfasalazine
Hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine are both labeled for rheumatoid arthritis. Drugs@FDA records approvals of hydroxychloroquine since 1955 and of sulfasalazine since 1950. Pharmacies paid $0.149 per hydroxychloroquine 200 mg tablet and $0.199 per sulfasalazine 500 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, hydroxychloroquine is an antirheumatic agent and sulfasalazine an aminosalicylate.
Check it at the source: the hydroxychloroquine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 8, 2024); the sulfasalazine FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 29, 2026).
Highlights of the hydroxychloroquine record
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) · label of October 8, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsSOVUNA is an antimalarial and antirheumatic indicated for the: Treatment of uncomplicated malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium vivax in adult and pediatric patients. (1.1) Prophylaxis of malaria in geographic areas where chloroquine resistance is not reported in adult and pediatric patients. (1.1) Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 18, 1955
- Generic labelers
- 28 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.149 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 2
Highlights of the sulfasalazine record
Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) · label of May 29, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsAZULFIDINE Tablets are indicated: • in the treatment of mild to moderate ulcerative colitis, and as adjunctive therapy in severe ulcerative colitis; and • for the prolongation of the remission period between acute attacks of ulcerative colitis.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 20, 1950
- Generic labelers
- 5 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.199 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Hydroxychloroquine label of October 8, 2024, Sulfasalazine label of May 29, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, hydroxychloroquine is an antirheumatic agent and sulfasalazine an aminosalicylate.
Half-life, in each label's words: Hydroxychloroquine, “Results following a single oral dose of a 200 mg tablet demonstrated a half-life of hydroxychloroquine about 40 days in …”; Sulfasalazine, “The observed plasma half-life for intravenous sulfasalazine is 7.6 ± 3.4 hours.”
Generics: hydroxychloroquine since 1994; sulfasalazine since 1973 (Drugs@FDA).
| Hydroxychloroquine | Sulfasalazine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Rheumatoid arthritis | Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Pharmacologic class | Antimalarial, Antirheumatic Agent | Aminosalicylate |
| How it works (label) | Malaria Hydroxychloroquine is a 4-aminoquinoline antimalarial [see Microbiology (12.4)] and antirheumatic agent. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Results following a single oral dose of a 200 mg tablet demonstrated a half-life of hydroxychloroquine about 40 days in whole blood. | The observed plasma half-life for intravenous sulfasalazine is 7.6 ± 3.4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | April 18, 1955 | June 20, 1950 |
| First generic approved | September 30, 1994 | November 12, 1973 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 28 labelers | 5 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.149 per tablet (Hydroxychloroquine 200 mg tablet) | $0.199 per tablet (Sulfasalazine 500 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -8% | +10% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 151,392 | 77,784 |
| 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 hydroxychloroquine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions