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VYTORIN contains 2 active ingredients: ezetimibe and simvastatin. No incremental benefit of VYTORIN on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over and above that demonstrated for simvastatin has been established.
VYTORIN is indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet for the reduction of elevated TOTAL-C, LDL-C, Apo B, TG, and
non–HDL-C, and to increase HDL-C in patients with primary (heterozygous familial and nonfamilial) hyperlipidemia or mixed hyperlipidemia when diet alone is not enough.
non–HDL-C, and to increase HDL-C in patients with primary (heterozygous familial and nonfamilial) hyperlipidemia or mixed hyperlipidemia when diet alone is not enough.
SELECTED CAUTIONARY INFORMATION
Myopathy Caused by Drug Interactions: Use of VYTORIN with itraconazole, ketoconazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, nefazodone, or large quantities of grapefruit juice (>1 quart daily) should be avoided because of the increased risk of myopathy, particularly at higher doses.
The concomitant use of VYTORIN and fibrates (especially gemfibrozil) should be avoided. Although not recommended, the dose of VYTORIN should not exceed 10/10 mg if used with gemfibrozil.
The benefit of further alterations in lipid levels by the combined use of VYTORIN with niacin (>1 g/day) should be carefully weighed against the potential risks of myopathy. Chinese patients should not receive VYTORIN 10/80 mg daily with niacin (>1 g/day). The dose of VYTORIN should not exceed 10/10 mg daily in patients receiving cyclosporine or danazol, 10/20 mg daily in patients receiving amiodarone or verapamil, and 10/40 mg daily in patients receiving diltiazem, due to the increased risk of myopathy. The combined use of VYTORIN at doses higher than 10/20 mg daily with amiodarone or verapamil or at doses higher than 10/40 mg daily with diltiazem should be avoided unless the clinical benefit is likely to outweigh the increased risk of myopathy.
The hypothetical patient response was based on the following study:
Study Design: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled, 8-arm, parallel-group, 6-week, active-treatment study. Patients with hypercholesterolemia (N=1,902) who had not met their LDL-C goal as defined by NCEP ATP III were randomized to 1 of 8 treatment groups: VYTORIN 10/10, 10/20, 10/40, or 10/80 mg or atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg. The primary end point of the study was mean percent change in LDL-C from untreated baseline averaged across all doses studied. The mean percent reduction in LDL-C across all doses studied was 53% for patients taking VYTORIN vs 45% for patients taking atorvastatin (P<0.001).1
Study Design: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled, 8-arm, parallel-group, 6-week, active-treatment study. Patients with hypercholesterolemia (N=1,902) who had not met their LDL-C goal as defined by NCEP ATP III were randomized to 1 of 8 treatment groups: VYTORIN 10/10, 10/20, 10/40, or 10/80 mg or atorvastatin 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg. The primary end point of the study was mean percent change in LDL-C from untreated baseline averaged across all doses studied. The mean percent reduction in LDL-C across all doses studied was 53% for patients taking VYTORIN vs 45% for patients taking atorvastatin (P<0.001).1
Mean pooled baseline LDL-C values for VYTORIN and atorvastatin were 178 mg/dL and 179 mg/dL, respectively. Mean baseline LDL-C levels for VYTORIN 10/10 mg, atorvastatin 10 mg, VYTORIN 10/20 mg, atorvastatin 20 mg, VYTORIN 10/40 mg, atorvastatin 40 mg, VYTORIN 10/80 mg, and atorvastatin 80 mg were 177 mg/dL, 175 mg/dL, 179 mg/dL, 178 mg/dL, 178 mg/dL, 180 mg/dL, 178 mg/dL, and 183 mg/dL, respectively.1
References
1.
Ballantyne CM, Abate N, Yuan Z, King TR, Palmisano J. Dose-comparison study of the combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin (Vytorin) versus atorvastatin in patients with hypercholesterolemia: the Vytorin Versus Atorvastatin (VYVA) study. Am Heart J. 2005;149(3):464–473.
2.
Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Merz CNB, et al; for Coordinating Committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program. Implications of recent clinical trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Circulation. 2004;110(2):227–239.




