Two medicines, side by side
Memantine vs donepezil
Memantine and donepezil are both labeled for alzheimer's disease. Drugs@FDA records approvals of memantine since 2003 and of donepezil since 1996. Pharmacies paid $0.063 per memantine HCl 10 mg tablet and $0.0484 per donepezil HCl 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026). In FDA's classes, memantine is a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist and donepezil a cholinesterase inhibitor.
Check it at the source: the memantine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 1, 2018); the donepezil FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 30, 2021).
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
Highlights of the donepezil record
Donepezil (Aricept) · label of December 30, 2021
Used for
From the label: indicationsARICEPT is indicated for the treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Efficacy has been demonstrated in patients with mild, moderate, and severe Alzheimer’s disease. ARICEPT is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Efficacy has been demonstrated in patients with mild, moderate, and severe Alzheimer’s Disease
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 25, 1996
- Generic labelers
- 31 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0484 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 5
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Memantine label of November 1, 2018, Donepezil label of December 30, 2021); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do memantine and donepezil differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, memantine is a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist and donepezil a cholinesterase inhibitor.
How each works, in its label's words: 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 …”; Donepezil, “Current theories on the pathogenesis of the cognitive signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease attribute some of them to a deficiency of cholinergic neurotransmission.”
Generics: memantine since 2010; donepezil since 2009 (Drugs@FDA).
| Memantine | Donepezil | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Alzheimer's disease | Alzheimer's disease |
| Pharmacologic class | N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Antagonist | Cholinesterase Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | 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. | Current theories on the pathogenesis of the cognitive signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease attribute some of them to a deficiency of cholinergic neurotransmission. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | October 16, 2003 | November 25, 1996 |
| First generic approved | April 14, 2010 | December 11, 2009 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 38 labelers | 31 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.063 per tablet (Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet) | $0.0484 per tablet (Donepezil HCl 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -0.9% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 5 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 13,605 | 36,484 |
| 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 memantine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions