Which Cholinesterase Inhibitors are available?

This directory covers 2: Aricept, Razadyne.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors (Dementia) — Drugs in This Class, Uses & How They Compare

Cholinesterase Inhibitors (Dementia)

Also called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, dementia medicines

Cholinesterase inhibitors block the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for memory and attention that is depleted in Alzheimer's disease. They do not slow the underlying disease, but by raising the available supply they can improve symptoms — memory, alertness, daily functioning — for a period.

Reviewed by the Priya Life Science Editorial Team, led by Sreepriya Prasannan

MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany HSE Spark Ignite 2026 — Top 14 finalist

Compiled from official FDA data · Last verified 22 Aug 2026 · Editorial standards

What this class is used for

Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease dementia

2 Cholinesterase Inhibitors in this directory

Aricept

Donepezil

An oral daily medication used to treat dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Razadyne

Galantamine

An oral daily medication used to treat mild to moderate dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

Compare Cholinesterase Inhibitors side by side

Aricept VS Razadyne

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How this page is built

The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.

FDA Drug Label (openFDA) ↗ Indications, mechanism of action and pharmacologic class
Drugs@FDA ↗ First FDA approval date and the company holding the application
FDA Drug Shortage Database ↗ Current US supply / shortage status

Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by the Priya Life Science editorial team, led by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 22 Aug 2026.

Please verify before you rely on this. This page is general information for life-science and pharmaceutical professionals. It is not medical advice, and it has not been reviewed by a clinician — our editorial team holds life-science qualifications, not clinical ones. It is not exhaustive and may not reflect the most recent label change. Always check the official prescribing information (US Prescribing Information or EU SmPC) and speak to your doctor or pharmacist before acting on anything here. Drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable, and approvals, brand names and indications differ between the US, the EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions. Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct promptly and log it.