Umeclidinium (Incruse Ellipta)

How Medicare covers it

Part D (inhaler used at home taken at home). Part A during a covered inpatient stay. No Part B clinician-administered form in the CMS Part B spending file.

What it treats

Maintenance (long-term, daily) treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — the lung condition that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema and makes breathing hard. It is NOT for sudden breathing attacks and must not be used to treat acute symptoms; the label says it should not be started in COPD that is quickly getting worse.

What it is for, in depth

Incruse Ellipta is a once-daily maintenance inhaler for patients with COPD — chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both — who need long-term help keeping their airways open. This package is for the single-ingredient umeclidinium inhaler only; it is not the umeclidinium/vilanterol combination inhaler. It sits in the treatment path as a daily long-acting anticholinergic (LAMA) bronchodilator: it is used every day to control day-to-day breathing symptoms, not as a rescue drug for a sudden attack, and it does not cure COPD. It comes in one strength only: an Ellipta dry-powder inhaler delivering 62.5 mcg of umeclidinium per inhalation, in 30-dose packs (and 7-dose institutional packs). It should be used every day even when breathing feels fine.

How it works

Umeclidinium is a long-acting anticholinergic (a long-acting muscarinic antagonist, or LAMA). It blocks M3 muscarinic receptors in the smooth muscle of the airways, which relaxes and opens the airways (bronchodilation). In studies its airway-opening effect lasted longer than 24 hours, and because it is inhaled, the effect is mainly in the lungs where it is needed.

How it is taken

One inhalation by mouth once a day — 62.5 mcg of umeclidinium per actuation — at the same time every day, using the Incruse Ellipta dry-powder inhaler. Never use it more than once in 24 hours. No dose change is needed for older patients, patients with kidney problems, or patients with moderate liver problems. Sudden symptoms are treated with a short-acting rescue inhaler, not with this drug.

Common side effects

The effects reported most often in the COPD trials of this inhaler included cold-like symptoms (nasopharyngitis, a sore or stuffy nose and throat), upper respiratory tract infection, cough, and joint pain. The label also describes, in its warnings, breathing that suddenly gets worse right after a dose, worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma, and trouble passing urine — see the serious warnings below.

Serious warnings

This label has no boxed warning, but it carries serious warnings. It can cause paradoxical bronchospasm — breathing suddenly gets worse right after a dose; if that happens, stop the drug and use alternative therapy as directed by a prescriber. It must not be started during COPD that is rapidly getting worse, and it is not a rescue treatment for acute symptoms. It can worsen narrow-angle glaucoma (eye pain, blurred vision, or seeing halos can be signs) and can worsen urinary retention (trouble passing urine), especially in people with prostate enlargement or bladder-neck blockage — contact a healthcare provider right away if those symptoms occur. Severe allergic reactions can occur in people with severe milk protein allergy, because the powder contains lactose made from milk.

Who should be careful

People with a severe allergy to milk proteins must NOT use this inhaler, and neither should anyone allergic to umeclidinium or any ingredient in it. Use with caution if you have narrow-angle glaucoma, prostate enlargement (prostatic hyperplasia), bladder-neck obstruction, or trouble passing urine. There is not enough information about use in pregnancy to know the risk, so tell your prescriber if you are pregnant or planning to be.

Major interactions

Other anticholinergic drugs are the main interaction: they can add to this drug's anticholinergic effects, so the label says to avoid using Incruse Ellipta together with other anticholinergic-containing drugs. Tell your prescriber and pharmacist about every inhaler and medicine you use so anticholinergic effects do not add up.

Cost and saving notes

Medicare facts: Incruse Ellipta is a brand-name inhaler and there is no generic version of single-ingredient umeclidinium, so Part D plans usually place it on a mid or higher tier. If your own Part D plan places it on a higher tier than expected, you or your prescriber can ask the plan for a tier exception when the lower-tier options would not work as well for you. If you qualify for Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy), your premiums and copays drop a lot. In 2027, what you pay out of pocket for covered Part D drugs is capped at $2,400 for the year, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread those costs into monthly payments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter. Ask your pharmacist or your plan what you would actually pay before you fill.

Why it is in its tier

Umeclidinium (Incruse Ellipta) sits on Tier 3 in 89.95% of the plans that list it (3293 of 3661 listing plans). Tier 3 is the preferred brand tier — mid-level copays or coinsurance. The data-visible drivers: It is sold both as a brand product and in generic form, and the CMS dashboard puts its average Part D spending at about $2,025 per beneficiary for 2024 — a mid-cost drug, which matches where plans place it. It is listed by 66.62% of Part D plans. The tier shown is the most common one; individual plans vary.

Sources

• INCRUSE ELLIPTA (UMECLIDINIUM) AEROSOL, POWDER [GLAXOSMITHKLINE LLC] — DailyMed
• MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine
• MedlinePlus — Umeclidinium Oral Inhalation

What official patient guides say

Umeclidinium is a powder you inhale by mouth once a day using its special inhaler, at around the same time every day. To use it, slide the cover down until it clicks to expose the mouthpiece, breathe out away from the inhaler, place the mouthpiece between your lips, and take a long, steady, deep breath in through your mouth. Hold your breath for about 3 to 4 seconds, then breathe out slowly. You can clean the mouthpiece with a dry tissue if needed. If you miss a dose, inhale it as soon as you remember, but if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not use more than one dose in a day or a double dose. Keep the inhaler in the foil tray it came in, tightly closed, at room temperature away from sunlight, excess heat, and moisture, not in the bathroom. Throw it away 6 weeks after you open the tray, or when the dose counter reads 0, whichever comes first.

Source: MedlinePlus — Umeclidinium Oral Inhalation

Part D formulary coverage

Source: CMS Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files — Monthly file 2026-10-15 (plan year 2027), file 2027_20261008.zip (data.cms.gov dataset ed1496ea-23e7-41f1-9292-172fa842ccfb): basic drugs formulary file + plan information file, both dated 20261031 inside the zip; downloaded and aggregated 2026-10-30. Medication RxCUI sets resolved through the NLM RxNav (RxNorm) API.

What you pay

Without insurance, the cash benchmark is 11.29682 per unit (INCRUSE ELLIPTA 62.5 MCG INH) — about nan for 30 units. NADAC benchmark — the average price pharmacies pay (CMS, as of 2026-11-04). Pharmacy shelf prices vary.

A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.

Sources: CMS Plan Benefit Package + formulary data; CMS NADAC · Checked 2026-11-08

Coverage by plan and tier

Of the 5,495 Medicare drug plans we track for 2027, 3,661 list Umeclidinium (Incruse Ellipta) — 66.6% of plans. Most of those plans put it on Tier 3: 3,293 plans, 90.0% of the plans that list it. Other plans place it on Tier 2 (269 plans) or Tier 1 (99 plans). For example: Aetna Medicare Dual Extra (HMO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 3; Aetna Medicare Dual Extra Care (PPO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 3; Aetna Medicare Value Plus (PPO) puts it on Tier 3. You can compare these plans side by side on our Medicare Advantage hub. A tier is not a price. What you pay also depends on whether you have met your plan';s deductible, whether the drug costs a flat copay or a share of the price, and whether you get Extra Help or Medicaid.

Read next

• Part D in 2027: The $700 Deductible, the $2,400 Cap, and the $35 Insulin Rule
• Extra Help in 2027: Lower Drug Copays and Who Qualifies
• Checking Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

Part D spending averages (2024)

Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug (Drug Spending Dashboard), release RY26 P04 V10, data through 2024 (DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv), downloaded 2026-10-30

Companies covering this drug

Part D and Medicare Advantage plan sponsors that list this drug on a formulary, 50 at a time.