Dosing & Uses
Dosage Forms & Strengths
tablet, extended-release
- 15mg
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Indicated for moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in adults who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate
15 mg PO qDay
May be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate or other nonbiological DMARDs
Dosage Modifications
Dose interruption for laboratory abnormalities
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <1000 cells/mm3: Interrupt; may restart once ANC >1000 cells/mm3
- Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) <500 cells/mm3: Interrupt; may restart once ALC >500 cells/mm3
- Hemoglobin (Hb) <8 g/dL: Interrupt; may restart once Hb >8 g/dL
- Hepatic transaminases: Interrupt if drug-induced liver injury suspected
Renal impairment
- Mild, moderate, or severe: No dose adjustment required
- ESRD: Not studied
Hepatic impairment
- Mild or moderate (Child-Pugh A or B): No dose adjustment required
- Severe (Child-Pugh C): Not recommended
Dosing Considerations
ALC <500 cells/mm3, ANC <1000 cell/mm3, or Hb <8 g/dL: Do not initiate
Test for tuberculosis (TB) before initiating; initiate antitubercular treatment for previously untreated latent TB or active TB before initiating treatment
Verify pregnancy status in women of reproductive potential before initiating upadacitinib
Limitation of use: Do not use in combination with other JAK inhibitors, biologic DMARDs, or potent immunosuppressants (eg, azathioprine, cyclosporine)
Safety and efficacy not established
Ulcerative Colitis (Orphan)
Orphan designation for treatment of pediatric ulcerative colitis
Sponsor
- AbbVie; 1 North Waukegan Road; North Chicago, Illinois 60044
Interactions
Interaction Checker
No Results

Contraindicated
Serious - Use Alternative
Significant - Monitor Closely
Minor

Adverse Effects
>10%
Upper respiratory tract infection (13.5%)
1-10%
Nausea (3.5%)
Neutropenia (1.1-2.4%)
Lymphopenia (0.3-2.4%)
Cough (2.2%)
Elevated ALT (0.8-2.1%)
Increased creatine phosphokinase (0.3-1.6%)
Elevated AST (1-1.5%)
Pyrexia (1.2%)
<1%
Pneumonia
Herpes zoster
Herpes simplex (includes oral herpes)
Oral candidiasis
Anemia (<0.1%)
Frequency Not Defined
Tuberculosis
Malignancies, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer
Venous thrombosis
Elevated LDL
Elevated HDL
Warnings
Black Box Warnings
Serious infection
- Increases risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death
- Most patients with severe infections were also taking concomitant immunosuppressants (eg, methotrexate, corticosteroids)
- Interrupt upadacitinib treatment if serious infection develops; may resume once infection controlled
- Carefully consider risks and benefits before initiating upadacitinib in patients with chronic or recurrent infection
- Closely monitor for signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment, including possible development of TB in patients who tested negative for latent TB infection before initiating therapy
-
Reported infections include
- Active TB, which may present with pulmonary or extrapulmonary disease; test for latent TB before use and during therapy; consider treating latent infection before upadacitinib use
- Invasive fungal infections, including cryptococcosis and pneumocystosis
- Bacterial, viral ( including herpes zoster), and other infections due to opportunistic pathogens
Malignancies
- Lymphoma and other malignancies reported in patients treated with upadacitinib
Thrombosis
- Thrombosis, including DVT, PE, and arterial thrombosis have occurred in patients treated with JAK inhibitors used to treat inflammatory conditions
- Many of these adverse events were serious and some resulted in death
- Consider risks and benefits prior to treating patients who may be at increased risk
- Promptly evaluate and treat patients with symptoms of thrombosis
Contraindications
None
Cautions
Malignancies reported; consider risks and benefits of treatment before initiating in patients with known malignancy, other than previously treated nonmelanoma skin cancer; screen for malignancies during treatment according to guidelines
Thrombosis reported, including DVT, PE, and arterial thrombosis
Gastrointestinal perforation reported; unknown if JAK inhibition is implicated in these events; many patients were also receiving NSAIDs
May cause neutropenia, lymphopenia, anemia, elevated lipids, or elevated liver enzymes; monitor for abnormal laboratory values and assess the need to interrupt dosing
Based on findings in animal studies, may cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women
Serious and fatal infections
- Serious and fatal infections reported
- Most frequent infections reported included pneumonia and cellulitis
- Opportunistic infections reported included TB, multidermatomal herpes zoster, oral/esophageal candidiasis, and cryptococcosis
- Avoid in patients with an active, serious infection, including localized infections
- Monitor for viral reactivation (eg, hepatitis B, herpes zoster) during treatment
- Patients should be screen for opportunistic infections and treated according to guidelines
Drug interaction overview
- Upadacitinib is a substrate of CYP3A4 (major) and CYP2D6 (minor)
-
Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors
- Use caution
- Upadacitinib systemic exposure is increased when coadministered with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors
-
Strong CYP3A4 inducers
- Coadministration not recommended
- Upadacitinib systemic exposure is decreased when coadministered with strong CYP3A4 inducers
-
Vaccines
- Use of live, attenuated vaccines during or immediately before initiating upadacitinib is not recommended
- Before initiating, assess vaccination history, including prophylactic zoster vaccinations
- Ensure vaccinations are current before initiating upadacitinib
Pregnancy & Lactation
Pregnancy
Limited human data on use in pregnant women are not sufficient to evaluate a drug-associated risk for major birth defects or miscarriage
Verify pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential before starting treatment
Animal data
- Based on animal studies, upadacitinib has the potential to adversely affect a developing fetus
- In animal embryofetal development studies, oral upadacitinib administration to pregnant rats and rabbits at exposures greater or equal than ~1.6 and 15 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD), respectively, resulted in dose-related increases in skeletal malformations (rats only), an increased incidence of cardiovascular malformations (rabbits only), increased postimplantation loss (rabbits only), and decreased fetal body weights in both rats and rabbits
Contraception
- Females of reproductive potential: Use effective contraception during treatment and for 4 weeks after final dose
Clinical considerations
- Published data suggest that increased disease activity is associated with risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatoid arthritis
- Adverse pregnancy outcomes include preterm delivery (before 37 weeks of gestation), low birth weight (less than 2500 g) infants, and small for gestational age at birth
Lactation
No data available on the presence of upadacitinib in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production
Available data in animals have shown upadacitinib excreted in milk
If a drug is present in animal milk, it is likely the drug will be present in human milk
Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in the breastfed infant, advise patients that breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with upadacitinib, and for 6 days (~10 half-lives) after the last dose
Pregnancy Categories
A: Generally acceptable. Controlled studies in pregnant women show no evidence of fetal risk.
B: May be acceptable. Either animal studies show no risk but human studies not available or animal studies showed minor risks and human studies done and showed no risk. C: Use with caution if benefits outweigh risks. Animal studies show risk and human studies not available or neither animal nor human studies done. D: Use in LIFE-THREATENING emergencies when no safer drug available. Positive evidence of human fetal risk. X: Do not use in pregnancy. Risks involved outweigh potential benefits. Safer alternatives exist. NA: Information not available.Pharmacology
Mechanism of Action
Janus kinase-1 (JAK1)-selective inhibitor; JAK1 is essential for certain cytokines to elicit signals from various interleukins, cardiotrophin, neurotrophin, and interferons
These signals are crutial in maintaining the inflammatory condition in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); inhibition of JAK reduces production of and modulates proinflammatory cytokines central to RA
Absorption
Peak plasma time: 2-4 hr
Steady-state reached within 4 days
Distribution
Protein bound: 52%
Metabolism
Metabolized by mainly CYP3A4 and potentially minor contribution from CYP2D6
Elimination
Half-life: 8-14 hr
Excretion
- Urine (24%); feces (38%)
- ~34% of upadacitinib dose was metabolites
Administration
Oral Administration
Take orally with or without food
Swallow tablet whole; do not split, crush, or chew
Storage
Store at 2-25ºC (36-77ºF)
Store in original bottle to protect from moisture
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Patient Handout
Formulary
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