Tadalafil Brand Names: Which Brand Is Used for What

One active ingredient, five brand names, three different conditions. A label-by-label guide to which tadalafil product is which.

Cialis is the tadalafil brand most people mean, and it is the one labeled for erectile dysfunction (ED) and for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).¹ But tadalafil is sold under other names too: Adcirca, Alyq and Tadliq for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and Entadfi, a capsule that adds finasteride for BPH.²³⁴⁵ The brand name tells you which condition the product was approved for, so it is worth knowing before a prescription is filled or a tablet is shared, swapped or doubled up.

What are the brand names for tadalafil?

Five brands appear in the FDA's DailyMed label database for products that contain tadalafil. The table lists what each label says it is for and how it is supplied.

MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's drug guide, names only Adcirca and Cialis, and says tadalafil is used for ED and BPH (Cialis) and to improve exercise ability in PAH (Adcirca).⁶ The other three brands are listed on DailyMed and carry their own labels.

Which tadalafil brand is for ED?

Only Cialis, among the brands above. Its label covers three situations: ED, the signs and symptoms of BPH, and ED with BPH together.¹ Generic tadalafil tablets labeled for ED and BPH repeat those indications, so they are a copy of Cialis rather than of the PAH brands.⁷⁸ Our tadalafil doses guide sets out the Cialis dose range, and tadalafil 5 mg and tadalafil 20 mg cover the two strengths people ask about most.

Why are Adcirca, Alyq and Tadliq different?

They treat a different disease. PAH is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, and the three PAH labels describe the same indication: to improve exercise ability, based on studies that mostly enrolled people with symptoms of NYHA Functional Class II to III.²³⁴ The dose is 40 mg once daily, taken as two 20 mg tablets or, for Tadliq, 10 mL of suspension.²⁴

That is a higher daily amount than any Cialis ED dose on its label. The mix-up is the same one that affects sildenafil, where a 20 mg tablet can be a PAH product rather than an ED one; see sildenafil 20 mg. A 20 mg tadalafil tablet by itself does not show whether it is an ED product or a PAH product, so check the label name and the condition on the prescription.²¹

What is Entadfi?

Entadfi is a fixed-dose capsule of finasteride 5 mg and tadalafil 5 mg. Its label is narrower than Cialis: it is indicated to start treatment of BPH signs and symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate for up to 26 weeks, and it is not recommended for longer because the added benefit of tadalafil decreases from week 4 to week 26 and is unknown beyond that.⁵ The Cialis label gives the same 26-week limit when Cialis is used together with finasteride to start BPH treatment.¹

The Entadfi label also warns that pregnant women should not handle crushed or open capsules, because of finasteride.⁵ Entadfi is labeled for BPH, not ED, so it is not a substitute for Cialis when erection problems are the concern.⁵

Is generic tadalafil the same as Cialis?

For ED and BPH, a generic tablet is the same medicine on paper: the labels from Teva and Northstar list the same uses as Cialis.⁷⁸ What a generic is called does not make it a PAH product, and Alyq, which is labeled for PAH, shows that a tadalafil tablet with a different name can have a different purpose.³ The quickest check is the label, which names the condition.

What do all tadalafil brands have in common?

• Nitrates are off limits. The Cialis, Adcirca, Tadliq and Entadfi labels each contraindicate any form of organic nitrate, because tadalafil can potentiate their blood pressure lowering effect.¹²⁴⁵
• One product at a time. MedlinePlus advises being treated with only one tadalafil product at a time, so a PAH tablet and an ED tablet are not combined.⁶
• Sudden vision loss needs urgent care. The labels advise stopping a PDE5 inhibitor and seeking medical attention if one eye suddenly loses vision.⁵
• Prolonged erection. An erection lasting more than 4 hours is an emergency.⁵

Questions to ask the pharmacist

• Is this tablet labeled for ED, BPH or PAH?
• Is this a brand or a generic, and does the strength match what the prescriber wrote?
• Do I take any other tadalafil product, or any nitrate?

The answers come from the prescription and the label, not from the brand name alone. Anyone unsure whether the product in their hand matches their diagnosis should ask the prescriber or pharmacist before taking it.

Questions readers ask

What is the brand name of tadalafil?

Cialis is the best-known brand and is the one labeled for ED and BPH. Tadalafil is also sold as Adcirca, Alyq and Tadliq for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and in the Entadfi capsule with finasteride for BPH.

Is Adcirca the same as Cialis?

Same active ingredient, different label. Adcirca is indicated for pulmonary arterial hypertension at 40 mg once daily, while Cialis is indicated for ED, BPH or both, with a separate dose range.

Is generic tadalafil the same as Cialis?

Generic tadalafil tablets labeled for ED and BPH carry the Cialis indications. Generics labeled for PAH follow the PAH brands instead, so the label matters more than the generic name.

Can I take Cialis and Adcirca together?

MedlinePlus says tadalafil is available under the brand names Adcirca and Cialis and that you should only be treated with one of these products at a time.

What is Entadfi?

A once-daily capsule containing finasteride 5 mg and tadalafil 5 mg. The label limits it to starting treatment of BPH symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate for up to 26 weeks.

Further reading

Part of our guide: How ED Medications Work: Timing, Food, Interactions and Combinations

• Sildenafil Headache: How Common Is It?
• Tadalafil With Alcohol: How Much Is Too Much?
• What Is Tadalafil Used For? The Three Approved Uses
• Sildenafil or Tadalafil: How the Two Drugs Differ