Alendronate Sodium
Brand names: Alendronate Sodium, Binosto, Fosamax
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 8,150,146
- Medicare drug cost
- $70.8M
- Average cost per prescription
- $8.68
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 162,970
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
BINOSTO is a bisphosphonate indicated for: Treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women Treatment to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis Limitation of use: Optimal duration of use has not been determined. For patients at low-risk for fracture, consider drug discontinuation after 3 to 5 years of use
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated February 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Family Medicine 34.0%
- Internal Medicine 28.1%
- Nurse Practitioners 15.6%
- Physician Assistants 5.8%
- Endocrinology & Diabetes 4.0%
- Rheumatology 3.6%
- General Practice 3.2%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.4%
- OB-GYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology) 1.1%
- Hematology & Oncology 0.6%
- Hospitalist 0.3%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 0.3%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 18% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Vermont +55%
- Maine +48%
- Wyoming +41%
- Delaware +39%
- North Dakota +39%
- Puerto Rico (smallest change) −1%
- New York (smallest change) +7%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Marlex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 35 mg | white oval tablet, 13 mm | AP207 |
| 70 mg | white oval tablet, 16 mm | AP205 |
Northstar Rx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | white round tablet, 5 mm | F 18 |
| 35 mg | white oval tablet, 10 mm | F 19 |
| 70 mg | white oval tablet, 13 mm | F 21 |
Radius Health, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 91.37 mg | white round tablet, 25 mm | M |
Remedyrepack Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 35 mg | white capsule, 10 mm | C223 |
Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | white round tablet, 5 mm | F 18 |
| 35 mg | white oval tablet, 10 mm | F 19 |
| 70 mg | white oval tablet, 13 mm | F 21 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $2,722 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Radius Health, Inc. $2,722
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Apr 2026 · Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc · Class II
This recall is being conducted due to out of specification assay results in a limited number of bottles that were stored on side.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.