Pitavastatin Calcium

Pitavastatin calcium (Livalo) is a novel member of the medication class of statins. Like the other statins, it is an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that catalyses the first step of cholesterol synthesis. Most statins are metabolised in part by one or more hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes, leading to an increased potential for drug interactions and problems with certain foods (such as grapefruit juice). Pitavastatin appears to be a substrate of CYP2C9, and not CYP3A4 (which is a common source of interactions in other statins).