Qulipta vs Ubrevly: Comparison (Guide) | Articles

Woman Resting in Bed with Migraine Medication on the Table

Qulipta (atogepant) is a prescription drug used daily for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine (with headaches occurring up to 14 days per month) in adults. Its mechanism, which involves blocking calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptors, is focused on preventing the onset of migraine attacks. Ubrevly (ubrogepant) is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGPR) blocker, very similar to Qulipta (atogepant) that works to reduce the pain of chronic and acute migraines.

Key Takeaways

Qulipta (atogepant) is a prescription drug used daily for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine (with headaches occurring up to 14 days per month) in adults.
Ubrevly (ubrogepant) is a CGPR blocker that has similar effects to that of Qulipta (atogepant) in that it helps to treat acute migraines and prevent the onset of those migraines in patients.
Both medications are fairly similar in price, side effects, and their class of drug (considered to be CGPR inhibitors).

Qulipta vs. Ubrevly (Comparison)

Here’s a side by side view of Qulipta (atogepant) versus Ubrevly (ubrogepant):

Feature	Qulipta	Ubrelvy
Prescribed for	Chronic Migraine, Migraine Prevention	Acute Migraine Attacks
Drug Class	CGRP Inhibitors	CGRP Inhibitors
Dosage Forms Available	Oral tablet	Oral tablet
Common Dosage	10 mg	100 mg
Price	$1,159.99 for 30 tablets ($38.67 per unit)	$1,097.45 for 10 tablets ($109.75 per unit)
Generic Availability	No lower-cost generic approved	No lower-cost generic approved
Half-life	11 hours	7 hours
CSA Schedule	Not a controlled drug	Not a controlled drug
Pregnancy Category	Summary unavailable	Summary unavailable
Drug Interactions	181 total interactions:	222 total interactions:
	- 79 major	- 37 major
	- 9 moderate	- 185 moderate
Alcohol/Food Interactions	No known interactions	Grapefruit/juice can increase blood levels
Side Effects	See Qulipta side effects in detail	See Ubrelvy side effects in detail

Side Effect Comparison

Both Ubrevly and Qulipta have very similar side effects in patients, including:

Naseau (2-4% of patients)
Dizziness or fatigue (2-3% of patients)

However, some side effects differ. And ones that patients should know about. In particular, loss of body weight is only known to have these issues in patients who take Qulipta. Loss of body weight (7% of patients) is far more common in patients when compared to Ubrevly (ubrogepant).

In contrast, Ubrevly is known to cause dry mouth while Qulipta is not. Making this another side effect that’s not shared between the two medications.

For patients who may want to avoid any weight loss side effects, it’s probably best to speak with your primary care physician about the use of Ubrevly (ubrogepant) for the treatment of acute migraines.

Related: Qulipta Side Effects

Price Comparison

While both Ubrevly and Qulipta are in similar price ranges (anywhere from $1,100 to $1,500 for a 30-day supply), both treatment options have savings opportunities through their own “Complete Savings Card” programs.

Similar qualifications exist for both Ubrevly and Qulipta, following the similar lines of:

Be at least 18 years old
Have a valid prescription for Ubrelvy or Qulipta tablets
Have commercial insurance coverage (usually through an employer)
Should not be enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal or state programs
Should not be enrolled in private indemnity or HMO insurance plans that cover the entire cost of prescription drugs

Those who qualify can seek the assistance program through both of the following:

Key Differences

In short, there aren’t too many key differences between Qulipta (atogepant) and Ubrevly (ubrogepant). However, one of the major considerations would the clinically trialed side effect of having weight loss symptoms in patients who took Qulipta (atogepant) compared to trials of Ubrevly (ubrogepant).

Both medications have very similar uses, costs, and side effects aside from weight loss. A primary care physician may prescribe you one or the other medication based on the combination of medications that you may be taking.

In particular, Qulipta (atogepant) has a shorter list of negative drug interactions (188 drug interactions) compared to Ubrevly (222 interactions). As a result, your primary care physician may look at all of your prescriptions and make a suggestion on the medication to choose from.

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Sources

Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. (2023, June). Atogepant (Qulipta): CADTH reimbursement recommendation. CADTH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK595348/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). QULIPTA (atogepant) prescribing information. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/spl/data/a313e1c3-0edb-4e39-b069-0c538f0c9424/a313e1c3-0edb-4e39-b069-0c538f0c9424.xml
Rizzoli, P., Marmura, M. J., Robblee, J., McVige, J., Sacco, S., Nahas, S. J., Ailani, J., Ferreira, R. D. A., Ma, J., Smith, J. H., Dabruzzo, B., & Ashina, M. (2024). Safety and tolerability of atogepant for the preventive treatment of migraine: A post hoc analysis of pooled data from four clinical trials. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 25(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-024-01736-z