Simvastatin and
fenofibrate are both commonly used
lipid-regulating agents with distinct mechanisms of action, and their coadministration may be an attractive treatment for some patients with
dyslipidemia. A 2-period, randomized, open-label, crossover study was conducted in 12 subjects to determine if
fenofibrate and
simvastatin are subject to a clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interaction at steady state. In treatment A, subjects received an 80-mg
simvastatin tablet in the morning for 7 days. In treatment B, subjects received a 160-mg micronized
fenofibrate capsule in the morning for 7 days, followed by a 160-mg micronized
fenofibrate capsule dosed together with an 80-mg
simvastatin tablet on days 8 to 14. Because food increases the bioavailability of
fenofibrate, each dose was administered with food to maximize the exposure of
fenofibric acid. The steady-state pharmacokinetics (AUC(0-24h), C(max), and t(max)) of active and total
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors,
simvastatin acid, and
simvastatin were determined following
simvastatin administration with and without
fenofibrate. Also,
fenofibric acid steady-state pharmacokinetics were evaluated with and without
simvastatin. The geometric mean ratios (GMRs) for AUC(0-24h) (80 mg
simvastatin [SV] + 160 mg
fenofibrate)/(80 mg
simvastatin alone) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.88 (0.80, 0.95) and 0.92 (0.82, 1.03) for active and total
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. The GMRs and 90% CIs for
fenofibric acid (80 mg SV + 160 mg
fenofibrate/160 mg
fenofibrate alone) AUC(0-24h) and C(max) were 0.95 (0.88, 1.04) and 0.89 (0.77, 1.02), respectively. Because both the active inhibitor and
fenofibric acid AUC GMR 90% confidence intervals fell within the prespecified bounds of (0.70, 1.43), no clinically significant pharmacokinetic drug interaction between
fenofibrate and
simvastatin was concluded in humans. The coadministration of
simvastatin and
fenofibrate in this study was well tolerated.