Vyndaqel

Transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a rare type of heart muscle disease. Amyloidosis is a group of diseases caused by a buildup of proteins called amyloid in your body's organs. This causes your organs to not work properly. ATTR-CM is a type of amyloidosis that's caused by buildup of a protein called transthyretin on the walls of your heart muscle. This causes your heart walls to become stiff and unable to relax, fill with blood, and pump blood to the rest of your body properly. This can lead to heart failure, which can look like tiredness, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, swelling in the feet or ankles, or stomach bloating. Vyndaqel (tafamidis) helps with ATTR-CM by attaching to transthyretin to prevent building up in your heart.

The difference between Vyndaqel and Vyndamax is the strength of tafamidis in each capsule and the dose of each brand medication, which affects how they're taken. Vyndaqel comes as 20 mg capsules, but the dose of Vyndaqel is 80 mg once per day. This means that you'll need to take 4 capsules of Vyndaqel for each dose. On the other hand, Vyndamax comes as 61 mg capsules, and the dose of Vyndamax is 61 mg once per day. This means that you'll only need to take 1 capsule of Vyndamax for each dose. This makes Vyndamax more convenient to take for some people compared to Vyndaqel. Both brands aren't equal to each other and therefore can't be switched out for each other. Make sure you know which brand of Vyndaqel (tafamidis) you have to avoid taking the wrong dose.

It's not known if Vyndaqel (tafamidis) is safe or if it works well in children younger than 18 years old. Symptoms of ATTR-CM can start to appear as early as age 20 (in some people with the genetic version of this heart disease) or as late as after age 65. If you or your child starts to show symptoms of ATTR-CM before the age of 18, speak to your or your child's provider about other options.