Venlafaxine vs Duloxetine — Cost, Coverage & Plan Comparison

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Up to 4 drugsCross-class or same-class

Start with the molecules your plan spends the most on. Most useful comparisons live within the same therapeutic class — switching across classes requires deeper clinical review.

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Federal data onlyNo PBM pricing assumed

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11 dimensions

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI)

Venlafaxine

Brand: Effexor

First FDA approval: 1997-11-01

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI)

Duloxetine

Brand: Cymbalta

First FDA approval: 2004-08-24

Lowest NADACAcquisition cost floor across all NDCs

$0.069Per unit

$0.085Per unit

Average NADACAcross all dosage forms and strengths

$0.889Up to $21.61

$0.820Up to $8.97

Generic manufacturersActive ANDA holders — FDA Orange Book

27116 total ANDAs filed

1652 total ANDAs filed

Annualized Part D spendCY2024 — CMS Part D Spending Dashboard

$240.4MFull year

$496.0MFull year

Part D claims (CY24)Total fills, all strengths

9.3M2.2M beneficiaries

19.8M5.0M beneficiaries

Avg cost per claimCalculated: total spend ÷ total claims

$26Per claim, all NDCs

$25Per claim, all NDCs

Part D plans surveyed2026 plan year — CMS Formulary file

329Across CMS plan year

Prior-authorization frictionPlan-NDC pairs requiring PA

1Minimal friction

475Substantial friction

Step therapy appliedPlan-NDC pairs requiring step therapy

7Limited friction

288Limited friction

FDA shortage statusLive cross-reference vs FDA Drug Shortage Database

NoneClear

Generic availableFDA Orange Book

Yes27 manufacturers

Yes16 manufacturers