Two medicines, side by side
Nifedipine vs verapamil
Nifedipine and verapamil are both labeled for high blood pressure and angina. Drugs@FDA records approvals of nifedipine since 1981 and of verapamil since 1981. Pharmacies paid $0.130 per nifedipine ER 30 mg tablet and $0.191 per verapamil ER 180 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, nifedipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker and verapamil a calcium channel blocker.
Check it at the source: the nifedipine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 24, 2024); the verapamil FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 6, 2026).
Highlights of the nifedipine record
Nifedipine (Procardia) · label of December 24, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsNifedipine extended-release tablets are indicated for the treatment of hypertension. It may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 31, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 32 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.130 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 7
Highlights of the verapamil record
Verapamil (Isoptin) · label of April 6, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsVerapamil hydrochloride extended-release tablets are indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions. These benefits have been seen in controlled trials of antihypertensive drugs from a wide variety of pharmacologic classes including this drug. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 12, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.191 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Nifedipine label of December 24, 2024, Verapamil label of April 6, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do nifedipine and verapamil differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, nifedipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker and verapamil a calcium channel blocker.
Half-life, in each label's words: Nifedipine, “The elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as nifedipine extended-release tablets are approximately 7 hours …”; Verapamil, “The mean elimination half-life in single-dose studies ranged from 2.8 to 7.4 hours.”
Generics: nifedipine since 1989; verapamil since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
| Nifedipine | Verapamil | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High blood pressure, Angina | High blood pressure, Atrial fibrillation, Angina |
| Pharmacologic class | Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker | Calcium Channel Blocker |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Mechanism of action Essential hypertension: Verapamil exerts antihypertensive effects by decreasing systemic vascular resistance, usually without orthostatic decreases in blood pressure or reflex tachycardia; … |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as nifedipine extended-release tablets are approximately 7 hours in contrast to the known 2 hour elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as an immediate … | The mean elimination half-life in single-dose studies ranged from 2.8 to 7.4 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 31, 1981 | August 12, 1981 |
| First generic approved | April 28, 1989 | November 12, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 32 labelers | 43 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.130 per tablet (Nifedipine ER 30 mg tablet) | $0.191 per tablet (Verapamil ER 180 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +19% | +7% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 41,059 | 4,242 |
| 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)
Do their labels mention each other?
Nifedipine label, drug interactionsVerapamil, a CYP3A inhibitor, can inhibit the metabolism of nifedipine and increase the exposure to nifedipine during concomitant therapy.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to nifedipine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions