Livalo (Pitavastatin) Drug Overview and Uses for Patients and Caregivers at RxList

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May 27, 2012

Livalo

Heart Disease »

Heart disease facts

Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of death in the United States. Over a million people each year will have a heart attack and 25% will die before they get to the hospital while or in the Emergency Department.
Prevention is the key to treatment of heart disease.
Diagnosis of heart disease is often made by careful history taken by a health care practitioner. Some individuals may have atypical symptoms, including almost none at all.
The testing strategy to confirm the diagnosis and plan appropriate treatment needs to be individualized for each patient diagnosed with heart disease.
Treatment of heart disease depends upon the severity of disease, and is often directed by the symptoms experienced by the affected individual.

Introduction to heart disease

The heart is like any other muscle, requiring oxygen and nutrient-rich blood for it t...

Read the Heart Disease article »

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LIVALO
(pitavastatin)

DRUG DESCRIPTION

LIVALO (pitavastatin) is an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase. It is a synthetic lipid-lowering agent for oral administration.

The chemical name for pitavastatin is (+)monocalcium bis{(3R, 5S, 6E)-7-[2-cyclopropyl-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-quinolyl]-3,5dihydroxy-6-heptenoate}. The structural formula is:

LIVALO (pitavastatin) Structural Formula Illustration

The empirical formula for pitavastatin is C50H46CaF2N2O8 and the molecular weight is 880.98. Pitavastatin is odorless and occurs as white to pale-yellow powder. It is freely soluble in pyridine, chloroform, dilute hydrochloric acid, and tetrahydrofuran, soluble in ethylene glycol, sparingly soluble in octanol, slightly soluble in methanol, very slightly soluble in water or ethanol, and practically insoluble in acetonitrile or diethyl ether. Pitavastatin is hygroscopic and slightly unstable in light.

Each film-coated tablet of LIVALO contains 1.045 mg, 2.09 mg, or 4.18 mg of pitavastatin calcium, which is equivalent to 1 mg, 2 mg, or 4 mg, respectively of free base and the following inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hypromellose, magnesium aluminometasilicate, magnesium stearate, and film coating containing the following inactive ingredients: hypromellose, titanium dioxide, triethyl citrate, and colloidal anhydrous silica.

Last reviewed on RxList: 3/13/2012
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.