Ubrelvy vs Emgality: How do they compare for migraines?

Medically reviewed by Melisa Puckey, BPharm. Last updated on June 19, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Ubrelvy and Emgality are both migraine medications that are called Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) inhibitors.

They differ in that Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) treats a migraine when you have one, where Emgality (galcanezumab) is used to prevent migraines.

Ubrelvy is a short acting tablet you take when you have a migraine, whereas Emgality is a long acting injection given monthly.

Ubrelvy is:

used to treat acute migraine
tablet you take orally (swallow with a drink)
take 1 tablet, when you have a migraine and another dose may be taken in 2 hours if required, under certain circumstances
short acting (last just over a day)
small-molecule CGRP antagonist

Emgality is:

used for prevention of migraines
a subcutaneous injection
given as a loading dose, then monthly
long acting (last for a month)
binds to the CGRP ligand, which stops the ligand binding to the CGRP receptor

Bottom line:

Ubrelvy and Emgality are both migraine medications, but work quite differently.
Ubrelvy is a short acting tablet that you take when you have a migraine.
Emgality is a monthly injection you have to prevent migraines.

References

Emgaility medication information: www.drugs.com/emgality.html

Ubrelvy medication information: www.drugs.com/ubrelvy.html

How do Ubrelvy, Qulipta and Nurtec compare for migraines?

Ubrelvy, Qulipta and Nurtec ODT are all medicines used by adults for migraines. They are all from the same group of medicines often called gepants but their full name is calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist. Continue reading

Ubrelvy vs Imitrex (sumatriptan): How do they compare?

Ubrelvy and Imitrex are both oral tablets used to treat migraine, but there are differences in the way they work. Ubrelvy prevents a protein called CGRP thought to play a role in migraine attacks from binding to its receptor and Imitrex is thought to bind to serotonin 5‑HT1B/1D receptors, and inhibit pro-inflammatory substances Although no head-to-head comparison trials compare Ubrelvy to Imitrex, indirect evidence suggests that overall, Ubrelvy is no more effective, and may be inferior to Imitrex at relieving migraine in adults who are able to tolerate triptans. For those adults with moderate-to-severe migraine attacks that cannot tolerate triptans or who have found them ineffective, Ubrelvy is beneficial for treating migraines compared to no treatment. Ubrelvy is associated with fewer side effects than Imitrex, but is more expensive, costing almost twice as much. Continue reading

Is Ubrelvy better than triptans?

Some patients may not be able to use NSAIDs or triptans to treat acute migraine headaches due to side effects or health conditions. In these circumstances, newer agents like Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist, may be an appropriate option. Continue reading

Ubrelvy vs Emgality: How do they compare for migraines?

Read next

How do Ubrelvy, Qulipta and Nurtec compare for migraines?

Ubrelvy vs Imitrex (sumatriptan): How do they compare?

Is Ubrelvy better than triptans?

See also:

Aimovig

Botox

Nurtec ODT

Vyepti

Depakote

Topamax

Emgality

Inderal

Ajovy

Valproate Sodium

Related medical questions

Drug information

Related support groups