From the FDA Drug Label
The elimination half-life of atogepant is approximately 11 hours. It takes approximately 11 hours for Qulipta (atogepant) to be eliminated from the body, as indicated by its elimination half-life 1.
- The elimination half-life is the time it takes for the concentration of the drug to reduce by half in the body.
- Based on this information, it can be inferred that after 5.5 half-lives (approximately 60 hours or 2.5 days), Qulipta will be almost completely eliminated from the body.
From the Research
Qulipta (atogepant) has an elimination half-life of approximately 11 hours from the body, as reported in the most recent and highest quality study 2. This means it takes about 11 hours for half of the drug to be cleared from your system, and it generally takes about 5-6 half-lives for a medication to be considered fully eliminated. Therefore, Qulipta would be almost completely eliminated from the body after approximately 55-66 hours (about 2-3 days). The drug is primarily eliminated through the feces and urine after being metabolized by the liver, mainly through the CYP3A4 enzyme pathway. Some key points to consider about Qulipta elimination include:
- The elimination half-life is consistent across different studies, with a range of approximately 11 hours 3, 4, 2.
- The drug's relatively long half-life allows it to be effective as a once-daily medication for migraine prevention.
- Patients with severe kidney or liver impairment may experience slower elimination of the drug, which is why dose adjustments are sometimes necessary for these populations.
- Understanding the elimination time is important when considering potential drug interactions or when switching to other preventive migraine medications. It's worth noting that the study 2 provides the most recent and highest quality evidence for the elimination half-life of Qulipta, and its findings are consistent with earlier studies 3, 4. However, other studies, such as 5 and 6, provide additional information on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Qulipta, but are not directly relevant to the question of elimination half-life. In particular, study 6 is outdated and refers to a different medication, quetiapine, and is not relevant to the question at hand. Overall, the evidence suggests that Qulipta has a consistent elimination half-life of approximately 11 hours, and this information can be used to inform clinical decision-making.