Prescription medicine
Memantine First approved as Namenda
Memantine (Namenda) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 2003. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 38 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.063 per memantine HCl 10 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the memantine FDA label on DailyMed (effective November 1, 2018, Actavis Pharma, Inc.); the NDA 21487 record on Drugs@FDA; every memantine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of November 1, 2018; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageMemantine hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
Forms and strengths
- 5 mg
- 7 mg
- 10 mg
- 14 mg
- 21 mg
- 28 mg
- 2 mg/ml
Tablet; extended-release capsule; film-coated tablet; solution; coated tablet.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 16, 2003 Namenda, Abbvie; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 43 first April 14, 2010; 28 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 39 of which 38 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- September 24, 2029 Namenda XR capsules; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.063 per tablet Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 7 since 2019 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest March 24, 2026
- FAERS reports
- 13,605 through July 30, 2026
What is memantine used for?
From the label: indications and usageMemantine 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.
Conditions named in the indications of memantine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
FDA pharmacologic class: N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Antagonist.
Source: FDA drug label (memantine hydrochloride), NDA021487 (Abbvie), as published by Actavis Pharma, Inc., effective November 1, 2018 (SPL set 72973b46-f307-4a9e-8fb1-ad2cbccfd736), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for memantine (Namenda)?
The FDA approved the first generic memantine on April 14, 2010. 43 generic applications are approved; 28 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale. Drugs@FDA also holds 1 tentative approval: the FDA found the generic approvable, but patents or exclusivity keep it from final approval for now.
FDA's NDC Directory lists memantine from 38 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.
The Orange Book lists no patent for Namenda tablets; a patent listed only for Namenda XR capsules runs to September 24, 2029. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 2003 earliest approval on file
- 2010 first generic approved
- 2029 last listed patent
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for memantine (Namenda)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.063 per Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet, down 1% from $0.0638 on October 8, 2025. 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.
- Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memantine 5-10 mg titration pk | Generic | $0.372 per unit | n/a | -0.5% |
| Memantine HCl 10 mg tablet | Generic | $0.063 per tablet | $1.89 | -1% |
| Memantine HCl 2 mg/mL solution | Generic | $0.811 per mL | n/a | +104% |
| Memantine HCl 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0793 per tablet | $2.38 | -2% |
| Memantine HCl ER 14 mg capsule | Generic | $0.345 per capsule | $10.35 | -10% |
| Memantine HCl ER 21 mg capsule | Generic | $0.356 per capsule | $10.69 | -7% |
| Memantine HCl ER 28 mg capsule | Generic | $0.342 per capsule | $10.27 | -35% |
| Memantine HCl ER 7 mg capsule | Generic | $0.312 per capsule | $9.37 | -32% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has memantine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 7 recalls naming memantine since 2019: 0 Class I (the most serious), 4 Class II, 3 Class III; 1 still ongoing. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 24, 2026 | Class II | The Harvard Drug Group LLC | Failed Dissolution Specifications |
| April 24, 2020 | Class III | The Harvard Drug Group | Failed dissolution specifications: Low stage 3 results obtained for dissolution during routine stability testing. |
| February 12, 2020 | Class II | Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Failed Dissolution Specifications: Low out of specification results observed in dissolution test at six-month long-term stability study. |
| December 13, 2019 | Class III | The Harvard Drug Group | Failed Dissolution Specifications: High out of specification result observed at stability studies. |
| December 10, 2019 | Class III | Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. | Failed Dissolution Specifications: High out of specification result observed at stability studies. |
| May 21, 2019 | Class II | Torrent Pharma Inc | cGMP Deviations: Potential product contamination with Burkholderia cepacia (B.cepacia) and Ralstonia pickettii (R. pickettii). |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the memantine label say about other medicines?
The memantine label names 4 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 1 other medicine name memantine. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amantadine | drug interactions | Use with Other N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Antagonists The combined use of memantine hydrochloride with other NMDA antagonists (amantadine, ketamine, and dextromethorphan) has not been systematically evaluated and such use should be approached with caution. |
| Dextromethorphan | drug interactions | Use with Other N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Antagonists The combined use of memantine hydrochloride with other NMDA antagonists (amantadine, ketamine, and dextromethorphan) has not been systematically evaluated and such use should be approached with caution. |
| Ketamine | drug interactions | Use with Other N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Antagonists The combined use of memantine hydrochloride with other NMDA antagonists (amantadine, ketamine, and dextromethorphan) has not been systematically evaluated and such use should be approached with caution. |
| Sodium bicarbonate | drug interactions | Urine pH is altered by diet, drugs (e.g. carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, sodium bicarbonate) and clinical state of the patient (e.g. renal tubular acidosis or severe infections of the urinary tract). |
Other labels that name memantine
Source: FDA drug label (memantine hydrochloride), NDA021487 (Abbvie), as published by Actavis Pharma, Inc., effective November 1, 2018 (SPL set 72973b46-f307-4a9e-8fb1-ad2cbccfd736), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for memantine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 13,605 reports that list memantine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 2,094 are coded as a death and 5,513 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 memantine?
3 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as memantine or labeled mainly for the same use (alzheimer's disease), the same class first. Alzheimer's disease lists all 7 medicines labeled for it, by any route. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donepezil | Alzheimer's disease | 31 labelers | $0.0484 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Rivastigmine | Alzheimer's disease | 11 labelers | $0.164 per capsule 1.5 mg capsule | A presentation being discontinued |
| Galantamine | Alzheimer's disease | 9 labelers | $0.294 per tablet 4 mg tablet | No current entry |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does memantine compare with medicines for the same use?
3 side-by-side pages set memantine beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to memantine
- 3 medicines for the same use
- Other n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Memantine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other