Ticagrelor
Brand names: Brilinta
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 678,690
- Medicare drug cost
- $429.2M
- Average cost per prescription
- $632
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 24,322
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
BRILINTA is a P2Y 12 platelet inhibitor indicated • to reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or a history of MI. For at least the first 12 months following ACS, it is superior to clopidogrel. BRILINTA also reduces the risk of stent thrombosis in patients who have been stented for treatment of ACS. • to reduce the risk of a first MI or stroke in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at high risk for such events. While use is not limited to this setting, the efficacy of BRILINTA was established in a population with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). • to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with acute ischemic stroke (NIH Stroke Scale score ≤5) or high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA).
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated May 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: BLEEDING RISK • BRILINTA, like other antiplatelet agents, can cause significant, sometimes fatal bleeding. • Do not use BRILINTA in patients with active pathological bleeding or a history of intracranial hemorrhage •. • Do not start BRILINTA in patients undergoing urgent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) ( 5.1, • 6.1 ). • If possible, manage bleeding without discontinuing BRILINTA. Stopping BRILINTA increases the risk of • subsequent cardiovascular events. WARNING: BLEEDING RISK See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. • BRILINTA, like other antiplatelet agents, can cause significant, • sometimes fatal bleeding. • Do not use BRILINTA in patients with active pathological • bleeding or a history of intracranial hemorrhage. • Do not start BRILINTA in patients undergoing urgent coronary • artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). • If possible, manage…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Cardiology 27.5%
- Interventional Cardiology 19.8%
- Nurse Practitioners 17.5%
- Internal Medicine 12.4%
- Family Medicine 9.1%
- Physician Assistants 6.1%
- General Practice 1.5%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.1%
- Hospitalist 0.8%
- Neurology 0.7%
- Cardiac Electrophysiology 0.5%
- Vascular Surgery 0.4%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 1% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Puerto Rico +19%
- Massachusetts +15%
- Maryland +14%
- Washington +12%
- Virginia +10%
- North Carolina (smallest change) −11%
- Colorado (smallest change) −10%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mg | pink round tablet, 8 mm | L94 |
| 90 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 522 L |
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mg | pink round tablet, 8 mm | 60 T |
| 90 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 90 T |
Hisun Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 90 mg | yellow round tablet, 10 mm | HU 90 |
Micro Labs Limited
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mg | pink round tablet, 6 mm | 60 T |
| 90 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 90 T |
Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mg | yellow round tablet, 8 mm | M TC1 |
| 90 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | M TC |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $23,698 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP $23,698
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Mar 2021 · Cardinal Health Inc. · Class II
CGMP Deviations: Intermittent exposure to temperature excursion during storage.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.