Two medicines, side by side
Rivastigmine vs memantine
Rivastigmine and memantine are both labeled for alzheimer's disease. Drugs@FDA records approvals of rivastigmine since 2000 and of memantine since 2003. Pharmacies paid $0.164 per rivastigmine 1.5 mg capsule 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, rivastigmine is a cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist.
Check it at the source: the rivastigmine FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 19, 2024); the memantine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 1, 2018).
Highlights of the rivastigmine record
Rivastigmine (Exelon) · label of June 19, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsRivastigmine tartrate capsules are an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor indicated for treatment of: Mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (AD) ( 1.1 ) Mild-to-moderate dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) ( 1.2 ) 1.1 Alzheimer’s Disease Rivastigmine tartrate capsules are indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type (AD). 1.2 Parkinson’s Disease Dementia Rivastigmine tartrate capsules are indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 21, 2000
- Generic labelers
- 18 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.164 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 2
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 (Rivastigmine label of June 19, 2024, Memantine label of November 1, 2018); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do rivastigmine and memantine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, rivastigmine is a cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine a n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist.
How each works, in its label's words: Rivastigmine, “Although the precise mechanism of action of rivastigmine is unknown, it is thought to exert its therapeutic effect by enhancing cholinergic function.”; 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: rivastigmine since 2007; memantine since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Rivastigmine | 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 precise mechanism of action of rivastigmine is unknown, it is thought to exert its therapeutic effect by enhancing cholinergic function. | 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) | The elimination half-life is about 1.5 hours, with most elimination as metabolites via the urine. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | April 21, 2000 | October 16, 2003 |
| First generic approved | October 22, 2007 | April 14, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 18 labelers | 38 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.164 per capsule (Rivastigmine 1.5 mg capsule) | $0.063 per tablet (Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -11% | -1% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 19,159 | 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 rivastigmine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions