Study of the pharmacokinetic interaction between simvastatin and prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters

The coadministration of prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters (P-OM3) with a statin may present a treatment option for patients with mixed hyperlipidemia. This open-label, randomized, 2-way crossover, drug-drug interaction study evaluated the impact of P-OM3 capsules on plasma simvastatin pharmacokinetics in 24 healthy volunteers. Under fasted conditions, 80 mg simvastatin was administered with or without 4 g P-OM3 for two 14-day periods. After 14 days of dosing to achieve steady state, no significant differences were found in either the extent (AUC(tau)) or rate (Cmax) of exposure to simvastatin or its major beta-hydroxy metabolite after coadministration of P-OM3 with simvastatin compared with administration of simvastatin alone. At steady state, the coadministration of P-OM3 capsules did not appear to affect the pharmacokinetics of simvastatin tablets. The combination of P-OM3 capsules and simvastatin appeared to be well tolerated.