Prescription medication · PAR-1 Antagonist (Antiplatelet)
vorapaxar
Also sold as Zontivity. Vorapaxar is used to lower the chance of having serious heart problems if you have a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Data updated 2026-05-15
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vorapaxar (Zontivity) is a prescription PAR-1 Antagonist (Antiplatelet). Vorapaxar is used to lower the chance of having serious heart problems if you have a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Vorapaxar (Zontivity) helps prevent blood clots if you have had a heart attack or have peripheral artery disease. It works by stopping platelets in your blood from sticking together and forming clots.
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What it does
Vorapaxar is used to lower the chance of having serious heart problems if you have a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Common side effects
Bleeding
Key warnings
Vorapaxar can cause serious bleeding, including bleeding in the brain, which can be fatal.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from vorapaxar's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Vorapaxar is a PAR-1 antagonist, which means it blocks a specific receptor on platelets. This receptor, called protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1), normally causes platelets to clump together. By blocking PAR-1, vorapaxar helps prevent blood clots from forming.
Serious Warnings
Vorapaxar can cause serious bleeding, including bleeding in the brain, which can be fatal. You should not take this medicine if you have a history of stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or bleeding in the brain. Also, do not take it if you have active bleeding.
Known Drug Interactions
Strong CYP3A Inhibitors Avoid concomitant use of ZONTIVITY with strong inhibitors of CYP3A (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, clarithromycin, nefazodone, ritonavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir, indinavir, boceprevir, telaprevir, telithromycin and conivaptan) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .
Mechanism: Ketoconazole blocks the enzyme that breaks down vorapaxar, which can cause the drug to build up to high levels in your body.
Strong CYP3A Inducers Avoid concomitant use of ZONTIVITY with strong inducers of CYP3A (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, St.
Mechanism: Carbamazepine speeds up how fast your body gets rid of vorapaxar, which can make the drug less effective.
Strong CYP3A Inhibitors Avoid concomitant use of ZONTIVITY with strong inhibitors of CYP3A (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, clarithromycin, nefazodone, ritonavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir, indinavir, boceprevir, telaprevir, telithromycin and conivaptan) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .
Mechanism: Clarithromycin stops your body from processing vorapaxar correctly, leading to higher amounts of the drug in your blood.
Strong CYP3A Inducers Avoid concomitant use of ZONTIVITY with strong inducers of CYP3A (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine, St.
Mechanism: Rifampin causes your body to break down vorapaxar too quickly, which may prevent the medicine from working as it should.
Strong CYP3A Inhibitors Avoid concomitant use of ZONTIVITY with strong inhibitors of CYP3A (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, clarithromycin, nefazodone, ritonavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir, indinavir, boceprevir, telaprevir, telithromycin and conivaptan) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .
Mechanism: Posaconazole interferes with the way your body clears vorapaxar, which can lead to an unsafe buildup of the medication.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I take vorapaxar by itself?
What should I do if I notice unusual bleeding?
Can I drink alcohol while taking vorapaxar?
Will vorapaxar stop working right away if I stop taking it?
What if I need surgery?
Can I take other medicines with vorapaxar?
What are the signs of a stroke?
How does vorapaxar affect my risk of bleeding?
What should I do if I am hypotensive after a heart procedure?
Is there a way to reverse the effects of vorapaxar if I bleed?
What are the common side effects of vorapaxar?
Does vorapaxar interact with other medications?
What drug class is vorapaxar?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for vorapaxar?
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Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for vorapaxar
The FDA label for vorapaxar (sold under brand names such as Zontivity) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the PAR-1 Antagonist (Antiplatelet) class. Vorapaxar is used to lower the chance of having serious heart problems if you have a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease (PAD). Official labeling lists 1 commonly reported side effect, including Bleeding.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 8 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: April 21, 2018
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages