Prescription medicine
Atenolol Brand names: Tenormin
Atenolol (Tenormin) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1981. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 35 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.0217 per atenolol 25 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the atenolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 18, 2025, Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC); the NDA 18240 record on Drugs@FDA; every atenolol label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of September 18, 2025; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageHypertension TENORMIN is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure.
Forms and strengths
- 25 mg
- 50 mg
- 100 mg
Tablet.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 19, 1981 Tenormin, Twi Pharms; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 28 first July 15, 1988; 9 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 36 of which 35 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0217 per tablet Atenolol 25 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 4 since 2013 1 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest September 29, 2022; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 132,491 through July 30, 2026
What is atenolol used for?
From the label: indications and usageHypertension TENORMIN is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure lowers the risk of fatal and non-fatal 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 atenolol. Control of high blood pressure should be part of comprehensive cardiovascular risk management, including, as appropriate, lipid control, diabetes management, antithrombotic therapy, smoking cessation, exercise, and limited sodium intake. Many patients will require more than 1 drug to achieve blood pressure goals. […]
Conditions named in the indications of atenolol's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other atenolol labelsHigh blood pressure: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Hypertension TENORMIN is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure.
Angina: Angina Pectoris Due to Coronary Atherosclerosis TENORMIN is indicated for the long-term management of patients with angina pectoris.
Heart attack and coronary artery disease: Acute Myocardial Infarction TENORMIN is indicated in the management of hemodynamically stable patients with definite or suspected acute myocardial infarction to reduce cardiovascular mortality.
FDA pharmacologic class: beta-Adrenergic Blocker.
Source: FDA drug label (TENORMIN), NDA018240 (Twi Pharms), as published by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC, effective September 18, 2025 (SPL set 6e850b1e-28a4-4ff8-8ed7-bb0b29faa28a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for atenolol (Tenormin)?
The FDA approved the first generic atenolol on July 15, 1988. 28 generic applications are approved; 9 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists atenolol from 35 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 1 brand labeler. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1981 earliest approval on file
- 1988 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for atenolol (Tenormin)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0217 per Atenolol 25 mg tablet, down 3% from $0.0225 on October 8, 2025. Prices per unit in the table differ many-fold by strength, form and brand, so compare like with like. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Atenolol 25 mg tablet (generic)
- Tenormin 50 mg tablet (brand)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atenolol 100 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0361 per tablet | $1.08 | -15% |
| Atenolol 25 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0217 per tablet | $0.651 | -3% |
| Atenolol 50 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0236 per tablet | $0.708 | -6% |
| Tenormin 50 mg tablet | Brand | $12.78 per tablet many times the lowest per-tablet cost; NADAC records the price, not why | $383.46 | n/a |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has atenolol been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 5 recalls naming atenolol since 2013: 1 Class I (the most serious), 4 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of atenolol and that holds no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2022 | Class I | Golden State Medical Supply Inc. | Label Mix - up; a bottle labeled as Atenolol 25mg Tablets contained Clopidogrel 75mg Tablets |
| March 7, 2017 | Class II | Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging LLC | Presence of Foreign Tablets/Capsules: Customer complaint that a bottle of atenolol 50 mg Tablets USP contained a paroxetine 20 mg tablet. |
| March 6, 2017 | Class II | Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc | Presence of Foreign Tablets/Capsules: Customer complaint that a bottle of atenolol 50 mg Tablets USP contained a paroxetine 20 mg tablet. |
| August 5, 2014 | Class II | Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc | Superpotent Drug: A complaint was reported by a pharmacist who stated several tablets were noticeably thicker in appearance. |
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling:Label Mixup; ATENOLOL, Tablet, 12.5 mg (1/2 of 25 mg) may be potentially mislabeled as VITAMIN B COMPLEX WITH C/FOLIC ACID, Tablet, NDC 60258016001 … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the atenolol label say about other medicines?
The atenolol label names 9 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 11 other medicines name atenolol. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Amiodarone | drug interactions | Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic agent with negative chronotropic properties that may be additive to those seen with beta-blockers. |
| Aspirin | drug interactions | Information on concurrent usage of atenolol and aspirin is limited. |
| Clonidine | drug interactions | Beta-blockers may exacerbate the rebound hypertension which can follow the withdrawal of clonidine. |
| Diltiazem | warnings | … the left ventricular end diastolic pressure can rise when beta-blockers are administered with verapamil or diltiazem. |
| Disopyramide | drug interactions | Disopyramide has been associated with severe bradycardia, asystole and heart failure when administered with beta-blockers. |
| Epinephrine | drug interactions | Such patients may be unresponsive to the usual doses of epinephrine used to treat the allergic reaction. |
| Furosemide | warnings | In patients with acute myocardial infarction, cardiac failure which is not promptly and effectively controlled by 80 mg of intravenous furosemide or equivalent therapy is a contraindication to beta-blocker treatment. |
| Indomethacin | drug interactions | Concomitant use of prostaglandin synthase inhibiting drugs, e.g., indomethacin, may decrease the hypotensive effects of beta-blockers. |
| Verapamil | warnings | … can occur and the left ventricular end diastolic pressure can rise when beta-blockers are administered with verapamil or diltiazem. |
Other labels that name atenolol
Source: FDA drug label (TENORMIN), NDA018240 (Twi Pharms), as published by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC, effective September 18, 2025 (SPL set 6e850b1e-28a4-4ff8-8ed7-bb0b29faa28a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for atenolol?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 132,491 reports that list atenolol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 11,274 are coded as a death and 47,830 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as atenolol?
74 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as atenolol or labeled mainly for the same use (high blood pressure), the same class first. High blood pressure lists all 88 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metoprolol | High blood pressure, Angina, Heart attack and coronary artery disease | 64 labelers | $0.085 per tablet 100 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Propranolol | High blood pressure, Angina | 38 labelers | $0.0493 per tablet 20 mg tablet | In shortage |
| Carvedilol | High blood pressure | 41 labelers | $0.0179 per tablet 6.25 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Labetalol | High blood pressure | 31 labelers | $0.215 per tablet 300 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Nebivolol | High blood pressure | 23 labelers | $0.141 per tablet 10 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Nadolol | High blood pressure, Angina | 16 labelers | $0.147 per tablet 20 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Bisoprolol | High blood pressure | 24 labelers | $0.114 per tablet 5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Bisoprolol and hydrochlorothiazide | High blood pressure | 11 labelers | $0.209 per tablet 10-6.25 mg tablet | No current entry |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does atenolol compare with medicines for the same use?
20 side-by-side pages set atenolol beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to atenolol
- 74 medicines for the same use
- Other beta blockers
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Atenolol side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other