Upadacitinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Upadacitinib is a janus kinase inhibitor sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for rheumatoid arthritis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Janus Kinase Inhibitor
- Treats (across its forms)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Available as
- Solution · Tablet, extended release · Tablet
- Sold as
- 3 products — Rinvoq, Rinvoq Lq and Upadacitinib
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Half-life
- about 8 to 14 hours (mean terminal elimination half-life)
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Rinvoq is dosed
From the FDA label for Rinvoq (application NDA211675). Other upadacitinib products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
RINVOQ LQ oral solution is not substitutable with RINVOQ extended-release tablets ( 2.2 , 2.10 ). Changes between RINVOQ LQ oral solution and RINVOQ extended-release tablets should be made by the healthcare provider. Prior to treatment update immunizations and consider evaluating for active and latent tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, hepatic function, and pregnancy status ( 2.1 ) Avoid initiation or interrupt RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ if absolute lymphocyte count is less than 500 cells/mm 3 , absolute neutrophil count is less than 1000 cells/mm 3 , or hemoglobin level is less than 8 g/dL. ( 2.1 , 2.14 ) Rheumatoid Arthritis , Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis Adults: The recommended dosage of RINVOQ is 15 mg once daily. ( 2.3 , 2.8 , 2.9 ) Psoriatic Arthritis Pediatric Patients 2 to less than 18 Years of Age Weighing at Least 10 kg: The recommended dosage is based on body weight ( 2.4 ) Adults: The recommended dosage of RINVOQ is 15 mg once daily. ( 2.4 ) Atopic Dermatitis Pediatric Patients 12 Years of Age and Older Weighing at Least 40 kg and Adults Less Than 65 Years of Age : Initiate treatment with RINVOQ 15 mg orally once daily. If an adequate response is not achieved, consider increasing the dosage to 30 mg orally once daily. ( 2.5 ) Adults 65 Years of Age and Older : Recommended dosage of RINVOQ is 15 mg once daily. ( 2.5 ) Severe Renal…
Everything below is the FDA label for Rinvoq (solution, tablet, extended release). Upadacitinib is also sold as tablet, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Rinvoq side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Serious Infections [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Mortality [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Malignancy and Lymphoproliferative Disorders [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Thrombosis [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] Gastrointestinal Perforations [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetes [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] Laboratory Abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.9 )] Rheumatoid arthritis , psoriatic arthritis , ankylosi ng spondylitis , and n on-radiographic a xial s pondyloarthritis : Adverse reactions (≥ 1%) were: upper respiratory tract infections, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, bronchitis, nausea, cough, pyrexia, acne, and headache. ( 6.1 ) Giant cell arteritis : Adverse reactions (≥ 5%) are upper respiratory tract infections, headache, fatigue, peripheral edema, cough, anemia, rash, herpes zoster, and nausea. ( 6.1 ) Atopic d ermatitis : Adverse reactions (≥ 1%) are: upper respiratory tract infections, acne, herpes simplex, headache, blood creatine phosphokinase increased, cough, hypersensitivity, folliculitis, nausea, abdominal pain, pyrexia, increased…
Who shouldn’t take Rinvoq
RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to upadacitinib or any of its excipients [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] . Known hypersensitivity to upadacitinib or any of the excipients in RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ. ( 4 , 5.6 )
Rinvoq drug interactions
Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors : See the Full Prescribing Information for dosage modification for patients with atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. ( 2.13 , 7.1 ) Strong CYP3A4 Inducers : Coadministration of RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ with strong CYP3A4 inducers is not recommended. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors Upadacitinib exposure is increased when it is co-administered with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor (such as ketoconazole, clarithromycin, and grapefruit), which may increase the risk of adverse reactions [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Monitor patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis, pJIA, or giant cell arteritis closely for adverse reactions when co-administering RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. Food or drink containing grapefruit should be avoided during treatment with RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ. For patients with atopic dermatitis, coadministration of RINVOQ 30 mg once daily with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors is not recommended. For patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease taking strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, reduce the RINVOQ induction dosage to 30 mg once daily. The recommended maintenance dosage is 15 mg once daily [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.13 )] . 7.2 Strong CYP3A4 Inducers Upadacitinib exposure is decreased when it is co-administered with strong CYP3A4 inducers (such as rifampin), which may lead to reduced therapeutic effect [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Coadministration of RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ with strong CYP3A4 inducers is not recommended.
Every upadacitinib product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Solution | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | 72/100 | Prescription | Solution | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | 68/100 | Prescription | Tablet | No data | — | View → |
What upadacitinib pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Can you crush or split upadacitinib?
At least one upadacitinibproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each upadacitinib label says about crushing, splitting and chewingWhat people report to the FDA about upadacitinib
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 4,331 reports naming upadacitinib, and the FDA flagged 71% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- crohn^s disease133 reports
- arthralgia128 reports
- pneumonia114 reports
- rash107 reports
- diarrhoea102 reports
- fatigue101 reports
- covid-1999 reports
- herpes zoster99 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean upadacitinib caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 26, 2026.
How long upadacitinib stays in your system
The elimination half-life of upadacitinib is about 8 to 14 hours (mean terminal elimination half-life). This is the terminal (elimination) half-life the label reports for the parent drug, which is the active moiety — upadacitinib is not a prodrug, and the label explicitly states "No active metabolites have been identified," so there is no longer-lived active metabolite to account for. The label describes population effects as changes in exposure (AUC), not as changes in half-life: geriatric patients (>=65) showed no clinically meaningful PK difference; renal impairment raised AUC modestly (about 18%/33%/44% higher in mild/moderate/severe), with mild-to-moderate not considered clinically relevant; hepatic impairment raised AUC about 28% (mild, Child-Pugh A) and 24% (moderate, Child-Pugh B), and it was not studied in severe (Child-Pugh C) impairment.
RINVOQ (upadacitinib) FDA label — DailyMed, §12.3 Pharmacokinetics ↗Half-life is how long the body takes to clear half a dose. It is not the same as how long a drug test can detect it, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Rinvoq?
RINVOQ and RINVOQ LQ are formulated with upadacitinib, a JAK inhibitor.
What kind of drug is upadacitinib?
The FDA classifies upadacitinib as a janus kinase inhibitor. JAK inhibitors block Janus kinase enzymes inside immune cells. These enzymes normally pass along messages from inflammatory signals (cytokines) to relay proteins that switch on genes, so blocking them turns down the overactive immune signaling that drives diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
How long does upadacitinib stay in your system?
The elimination half-life of upadacitinib is about 8 to 14 hours (mean terminal elimination half-life) — that is how long the body takes to clear half of a dose. This is the terminal (elimination) half-life the label reports for the parent drug, which is the active moiety — upadacitinib is not a prodrug, and the label explicitly states "No active metabolites have been identified," so there is no longer-lived active metabolite to account for. The label describes population effects as changes in exposure (AUC), not as changes in half-life: geriatric patients (>=65) showed no clinically meaningful PK difference; renal impairment raised AUC modestly (about 18%/33%/44% higher in mild/moderate/severe), with mild-to-moderate not considered clinically relevant; hepatic impairment raised AUC about 28% (mild, Child-Pugh A) and 24% (moderate, Child-Pugh B), and it was not studied in severe (Child-Pugh C) impairment. Half-life is not the same as how long a drug test can detect the drug, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Can you take upadacitinib with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run upadacitinib against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is upadacitinib sold under?
We track 3 upadacitinib-containing products in the U.S.: Rinvoq, Rinvoq Lq and Upadacitinib. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does upadacitinib come in?
Across the brands we track, upadacitinib is currently marketed as solution, tablet, extended release and tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic upadacitinib?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic upadacitinib product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Upadacitinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/upadacitinib
- MLA
- “Upadacitinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/upadacitinib.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for upadacitinib on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.