Rosuvastatin/Ezetimibe
Indications
Rosuvastatin/Ezetimibe is used for:
Rosuvastatin
Used as an adjunct to dietary therapy to treat primary hyperlipidemia (heterozygous familial and nonfamilial), mixed dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Also indicated for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering therapies or when other such therapies are not available. Furthermore, it is used to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Ezetimibe
Ezetimibe is indicated to reduce elevated total-C, LDL-C, Apo B, and non-HDL-C in patients with primary hyperlipidemia, alone or in combination with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin), reduce elevated total-C, LDL-C, Apo B, and non-HDL-C in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia in combination with fenofibrate, reduce elevated total-C and LDL-C in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), in combination with atorvastatin or simvastatin, and to reduce elevated sitosterol and campesterol in patients with homozygous sitosterolemia (phytosterolemia) [FDA Label].
Used as an adjunct to dietary therapy to treat primary hyperlipidemia (heterozygous familial and nonfamilial), mixed dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Also indicated for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia as an adjunct to other lipid-lowering therapies or when other such therapies are not available. Furthermore, it is used to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Ezetimibe
Ezetimibe is indicated to reduce elevated total-C, LDL-C, Apo B, and non-HDL-C in patients with primary hyperlipidemia, alone or in combination with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin), reduce elevated total-C, LDL-C, Apo B, and non-HDL-C in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia in combination with fenofibrate, reduce elevated total-C and LDL-C in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), in combination with atorvastatin or simvastatin, and to reduce elevated sitosterol and campesterol in patients with homozygous sitosterolemia (phytosterolemia) [FDA Label].
Adult Dose
Child Dose
Renal Dose
Administration
Contra Indications
Precautions
Pregnancy-Lactation
Interactions
Adverse Effects
Side effects of Rosuvastatin/Ezetimibe :
Mechanism of Action
Rosuvastatin
Rosuvastatin is a competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase. HMG-CoA reductase catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, an early rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis. Rosuvastatin acts primarily in the liver. Decreased hepatic cholesterol concentrations stimulate the upregulation of hepatic low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors which increases hepatic uptake of LDL. Rosuvastatin also inhibits hepatic synthesis of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). The overall effect is a decrease in plasma LDL and VLDL. In vitro and in vivo animal studies also demonstrate that rosuvastatin exerts vasculoprotective effects independent of its lipid-lowering properties. Rosuvastatin exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on rat mesenteric microvascular endothelium by attenuating leukocyte rolling, adherence and transmigration (PMID: 11375257). The drug also modulates nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and reduces ischemic-reperfusion injuries in rat hearts (PMID: 15914111). Rosuvastatin increases the bioavailability of nitric oxide (PMID: 11375257, 12031849, 15914111) by upregulating NOS (PMID: 12354446) and by increasing the stability of NOS through post-transcriptional polyadenylation (PMID: 17916773). It is unclear as to how rosuvastatin brings about these effects though they may be due to decreased concentrations of mevalonic acid.
Ezetimibe
Ezetimibe mediates its blood cholesterol-lowering effect via selectively inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol and phytosterol by the small intestine without altering the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients [A15202]. The primary target of ezetimibe is the cholesterol transport protein Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) protein. NPC1L1 is expressed at the enterocyte/ gut lumen (apical) as well as the hepatobiliary (canalicular) interface and plays a role in facilitating internalization of free cholesterol into the enterocyte in conjunction with the adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complex and clathrin [A33309]. Once cholesterol in the gut lumen or bile is incorporated into the cell membrane of enterocytes, it can bind to the sterol-sensing domain of NPC1L1 and form a NPC1L1/cholesterol complex. The complex can then be internalized or endocytosed by joining to AP2 clathrin, forming a vesicle complex that is translocated for storage in the endocytic recycling compartment [A33309]. Ezetimibe does not require exocrine pancreatic function for its pharmacological activity; rather, it localizes and appears to act at the brush border of the small intestine. Ezetimibe selectively blocks the NPC1L1 protein in the jejunal brush border, reducing the uptake of intestinal lumen micelles into the enterocyte [A33309]. Overall, ezetimibe causes a decrease in the delivery of intestinal cholesterol to the liver and reduction of hepatic cholesterol stores and an increase in clearance of cholesterol from the blood. While the full mechanism of action of ezetimibe in reducing the entry of cholesterol into both enterocytes and hepatocytes is not fully understood, a study proposed that ezetimibe prevents the NPC1L1/sterol complex from interacting with AP2 in clathrin coated vesicles and induces a conformational change in NPC1L1, rendering it incapable of binding to sterols [A33309]. Another study suggested that ezetimibe disrupts the function of other proteins complexes involved in regulating cholesterol uptake, including the CAV1F annexin 2 heterocomplex [A33309].
Rosuvastatin is a competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase. HMG-CoA reductase catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, an early rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis. Rosuvastatin acts primarily in the liver. Decreased hepatic cholesterol concentrations stimulate the upregulation of hepatic low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors which increases hepatic uptake of LDL. Rosuvastatin also inhibits hepatic synthesis of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). The overall effect is a decrease in plasma LDL and VLDL. In vitro and in vivo animal studies also demonstrate that rosuvastatin exerts vasculoprotective effects independent of its lipid-lowering properties. Rosuvastatin exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on rat mesenteric microvascular endothelium by attenuating leukocyte rolling, adherence and transmigration (PMID: 11375257). The drug also modulates nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and reduces ischemic-reperfusion injuries in rat hearts (PMID: 15914111). Rosuvastatin increases the bioavailability of nitric oxide (PMID: 11375257, 12031849, 15914111) by upregulating NOS (PMID: 12354446) and by increasing the stability of NOS through post-transcriptional polyadenylation (PMID: 17916773). It is unclear as to how rosuvastatin brings about these effects though they may be due to decreased concentrations of mevalonic acid.
Ezetimibe
Ezetimibe mediates its blood cholesterol-lowering effect via selectively inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol and phytosterol by the small intestine without altering the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients [A15202]. The primary target of ezetimibe is the cholesterol transport protein Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) protein. NPC1L1 is expressed at the enterocyte/ gut lumen (apical) as well as the hepatobiliary (canalicular) interface and plays a role in facilitating internalization of free cholesterol into the enterocyte in conjunction with the adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complex and clathrin [A33309]. Once cholesterol in the gut lumen or bile is incorporated into the cell membrane of enterocytes, it can bind to the sterol-sensing domain of NPC1L1 and form a NPC1L1/cholesterol complex. The complex can then be internalized or endocytosed by joining to AP2 clathrin, forming a vesicle complex that is translocated for storage in the endocytic recycling compartment [A33309]. Ezetimibe does not require exocrine pancreatic function for its pharmacological activity; rather, it localizes and appears to act at the brush border of the small intestine. Ezetimibe selectively blocks the NPC1L1 protein in the jejunal brush border, reducing the uptake of intestinal lumen micelles into the enterocyte [A33309]. Overall, ezetimibe causes a decrease in the delivery of intestinal cholesterol to the liver and reduction of hepatic cholesterol stores and an increase in clearance of cholesterol from the blood. While the full mechanism of action of ezetimibe in reducing the entry of cholesterol into both enterocytes and hepatocytes is not fully understood, a study proposed that ezetimibe prevents the NPC1L1/sterol complex from interacting with AP2 in clathrin coated vesicles and induces a conformational change in NPC1L1, rendering it incapable of binding to sterols [A33309]. Another study suggested that ezetimibe disrupts the function of other proteins complexes involved in regulating cholesterol uptake, including the CAV1F annexin 2 heterocomplex [A33309].