Uptravi vs. Adempas

Uptravi (selexipag) and Adempas (riociguat) are used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Uptravi and Adempas belong to different drug classes. Uptravi is a prostacyclin receptor agonist and Adempas is a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator.

Side effects of Uptravi and Adempas that are similar include headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pain and/or swelling in extremities, and low levels of iron in the blood (anemia).

Side effects of Uptravi that are different from Adempas include jaw pain, muscle pain, flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling), joint pain, decreased appetite, and rash.

Side effects of Adempas that are different from Uptravi include dizziness, indigestion, upset stomach or stomach pain, dizziness, low blood pressure (hypotension), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), constipation, palpitations, stuffy nose, nosebleed, difficulty swallowing, and abdominal bloating.

Both Uptravi and Adempas may interact with rifampin.

Uptravi may also interact with gemfibrozil, teriflunomide, and deferasirox.

Adempas may also interact with nitrates, sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, dipyridamole, theophylline, azole antifungals, HIV protease inhibitors, phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital, St. John's wort, and antacids.

Common side effects of Uptravi include:

Side effects of Uptravi include:

• headache,
• diarrhea,
• jaw pain,
• nausea,
• muscle pain,
• vomiting,
• pain in extremities,
• flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling),
• joint pain,
• low levels of iron in the blood (anemia),
• decreased appetite, or
• rash

Common side effects of Adempas include:

• headache,
• dizziness,
• indigestion,
• upset stomach or stomach pain,
• swelling of the legs and feet,
• nausea,
• diarrhea,
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• dizziness,
• low blood pressure (hypotension),
• low levels of iron in the blood (anemia),
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),
• constipation,
• palpitations,
• stuffy nose,
• nosebleed,
• difficulty swallowing,
• abdominal bloating, and
• swelling of the extremities.

Uptravi (selexipag) is a prostacyclin receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group I) to delay disease progression and reduce the risk of hospitalization for PAH.

Adempas (riociguat) is a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator used to treat adults with two forms of pulmonary hypertension.

Uptravi may interact with strong inhibitors of CYP2C8 (e.g., gemfibrozil). Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Adempas may interact with:

• nitrates,
• sildenafil,
• tadalafil,
• vardenafil,
• dipyridamole,
• theophylline,
• azole antifungals,
• HIV protease inhibitors,
• rifampin,
• phenytoin,
• carbamazepine,
• phenobarbital,
• St. John's Wort, or
• antacids

Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

The starting dose of Uptravi is 200 mcg twice daily. Increase the dose of Uptravi by 200 mcg twice daily at weekly intervals to the highest tolerated dose up to 1600 mcg twice daily.

The recommended starting dosage of Adempas is 1 mg taken 3 times a day.