Niacin/lovastatin (trade names Advicor) was a drug combination used for the treatment of

dyslipidemia Dyslipidemia is an abnormal amount of lipids (e.g. triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids) in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ( ASCVD). ASCVD includes coronary ar ...

. It was a combination of the lipid-modifying drug/vitamin

niacin Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is an organic compound and a form of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It can be manufactured by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Niacin is obtained in the diet from a variet ...

in extended release form and the

statin Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs. Low ...

drug

lovastatin Lovastatin, sold under the brand name Mevacor among others, is a statin medication, to treat high blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Its use is recommended together with lifestyle changes. It is taken by mouth. ...

(trade name Mevacor). The combination preparation was developed by Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2006, subsequently transferred to

AbbVie Inc. AbbVie is an American publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013. It originated as a Corporate spin-off, spin-off of Abbott Laboratories. History On October 19, 2011, Abbott Laboratories announced its plan to separate into two pub ...

when that company was spun off from Abbott in January 2013. Advicor was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 17, 2001. The FDA withdrew approval on 18 April 2016. The reason given: "Based on the collective evidence from several large cardiovascular outcome trials (Refs. 1-3.), the Agency has concluded that the totality of the scientific evidence no longer supports the conclusion that a drug-induced reduction in triglyceride levels and/or increase in HDL-cholesterol levels in statin-treated patients results in a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events." AbbVie Inc. agreed to voluntarily discontinue marketing Advicor. The same FDA action also applied to Simcor, a niacin-extended release combination with simvastatin.

Dosage

The combination was available as tablets containing niacin/lovastatin: * 500 mg/20 mg * 750 mg/20 mg * 1000 mg/20 mg * 1000 mg/40 mg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niacin lovastatin Hypolipidemic agents Combination drugs AbbVie brands