Acta Pharm. 63 (2013) 277-293
Review
Drug interactions with statins
ANIDA CAUSEVIC-RAMOSEVAC and SABINA SEMIZ
1 Bosnalijek, Pharmaceutical and Chemical
Industry, Joint Stock Company, Sarajevo, Bosnia
and Herzegovina
2 Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Sarajevo,
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
3 Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences,
International University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Accepted December 5, 2012
The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are generally very well tolerated as monotherapy. Statins are associated with two important, adverse effects, asymptomatic elevation in liver enzymes and myopathy. Myopathy is most likely to occur when statins are administered with other drugs. The statins are substrates of multiple drug transporters (including OATP1B1, BCRP and MDR1) and several cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (including CYP3A4, CYP2C8, CYP2C19, and CYP2C9). Possible adverse effects of statins can occurr due to interactions with concomitant use of drugs that substantially inhibit or induce their methabolic pathway. This review will summarizes the most important interactions of statins.
Keywords: statins, drug interactions, cytochrome
P450 (CYP) enzymes, drug transporters, adverse effects