title: Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics and drug interactions of the two recently developed statins, rosuvastatin and pitavastatin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Statins are the cornerstone of lipid-lowering therapy to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Rosuvastatin and pitavastatin are the two recently developed statins with less potential for drug interaction resulting in improved safety profiles.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review summarizes the pharmacokinetics and drug interactions of rosuvastatin and pitavastatin. The materials reviewed were identified by searching PubMed for publications using 'rosuvastatin', 'pitavastatin', 'statins', 'pharmacokinetics' and 'drug interaction' as the search terms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rosuvastatin and pitavastatin have favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles as their disposition does not depend on or is only marginally influenced by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, thus potentially reducing the risk of drug-drug interactions of these two statins with other drugs known to inhibit CYP enzymes. However, drug transporters play a significant role in the disposition of rosuvastatin and pitavastatin and drug interactions may occur through these. Genetic polymorphisms in drug transporters may also affect the pharmacokinetics, drug interactions and/or the lipid-lowering effect of these statins to a different extent.
authors.affiliation: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Medicine & Therapeutics , Shatin , Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D023421:Models, Animal; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011804:Quinolines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011804:Quinolines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; C108475:pitavastatin