Yupelri Inhaler: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Yupelri Inhaler (revefenacin) is a prescription anticholinergic bronchodilator used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. It comes as a liquid solution inhaled through a specific jet nebulizer, not a handheld inhaler. Yupelri is taken once daily as a long-term maintenance treatment and is not intended for sudden breathing attacks.

What is Yupelri Inhaler

Yupelri is a prescription inhaled medicine used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. It comes as a liquid solution that you breathe in using a special nebulizer machine, not a handheld inhaler. Its generic name is revefenacin, and it belongs to the anticholinergic bronchodilator (long-acting muscarinic antagonist, LAMA) drug class.

Yupelri Inhaler uses

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Chronic bronchitis associated with COPD
• Emphysema associated with COPD
• Long-term maintenance of open airways
• Ongoing COPD-related breathing difficulties

Benefits of Yupelri Inhaler

• Helps relax airway muscles
• Improves airflow
• Helps reduce breathlessness
• May ease wheezing and chest tightness
• Provides long-lasting COPD symptom control

How Yupelri Inhaler works

Yupelri blocks a chemical in the lungs called acetylcholine that can narrow the airways. By blocking this chemical, the muscles around the airways relax and widen, allowing more air and oxygen into the lungs.

Yupelri Inhaler dosage

Take Yupelri only using the specific jet nebulizer connected to an air compressor that your doctor prescribes; do not swallow or inject it. Take it once a day, ideally around the same time each day to keep a steady level of medicine in your body. Remove the vial from its foil pouch just before you take your dose, and sit upright while inhaling. Do not mix other medicines into the nebulizer cup with your dose, and throw away the vial right away after you finish your dose.

This is a long-term maintenance medicine, not a rescue treatment — keep a fast-acting rescue inhaler on hand for sudden breathing problems. Do not stop using it suddenly without talking to your doctor, as this may make your condition worse. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, but if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed one — never take two doses at once. Yupelri is not approved for use in children.

Available forms and strengths

• Inhaler (liquid solution for nebulizer use)
• 175 mcg

Side effects of Yupelri Inhaler

Common

• Cough
• Upper respiratory infections, including the common cold
• Headache
• Back pain
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Dizziness

Serious

• Sudden difficulty breathing right after a dose (paradoxical bronchospasm)
• New or worsening urinary retention (trouble or pain passing urine, weak urine stream, urinating frequently)
• New or worsening narrow-angle glaucoma (blurred vision, red eyes, eye pain, seeing halos around lights)
• Serious allergic reaction (swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; difficulty breathing; hives; rash)

Warnings and precautions

• Yupelri is not a rescue medicine and should not be used for sudden breathing attacks — only a fast-acting inhaler should be used for that, and you should always carry a rescue inhaler with you.
• Do not use Yupelri if you have had an allergic reaction to revefenacin or any of its ingredients.
• Yupelri is not approved for use in children, and it is not known if it is safe or effective for them.
• Taking other anticholinergic medicines, cyclosporine, or rifampin along with Yupelri may cause interactions.
• Do not stop using Yupelri suddenly, as this could make your COPD symptoms worse.
• It is not known whether Yupelri is safe to use during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known whether Yupelri passes into breast milk or if it could affect a nursing baby. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
• Tell your doctor if you have serious kidney problems or liver problems before starting Yupelri. Alcohol is not known to directly interact with Yupelri, but it may worsen some side effects like headache.

Storage

• Store this medicine in the foil pouch at room temperature, between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C)
• Can be exposed to temperatures between 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C) for shorter periods, such as during transport
• Keep in its original foil packaging to protect it from sunlight
• Use the vial right away after opening, and throw out any unused solution
• Throw out any unopened vials after the expiration date on the label
• Do not use the medicine if it has changed color or looks cloudy — call your pharmacist for new medicine
• Keep out of the reach of children

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency help right away if you have signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, hives, or trouble breathing.
• Call your doctor right away if you have sudden wheezing or breathing problems right after using a dose.
• Call your doctor right away if you have blurred or tunnel vision, eye pain or redness, or see halos around lights, as these may be signs of worsening glaucoma.
• Call your doctor right away if you have painful or difficult urination, or trouble fully emptying your bladder.
• Seek medical attention right away if your breathing problems get worse quickly or your medications seem to not be working as well as before.
• Call your doctor right away if you think you've inhaled too much Yupelri, or get emergency help if you have severe symptoms like difficulty urinating or vision problems.

Alternatives

• Tudorza Pressair
• Spiriva HandiHaler
• Lonhala Magnair