chemistry

Pitavastatin

Pitavastatin is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pitavastatin rather than just read about it. In short: Pitavastatin (usually as a calcium salt) is a member of the blood cholesterol lowering medication class of statins. Pitavastatin is an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that catalyses the first step of cholesterol synthesis.

Key takeaways

Pitavastatin belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pitavastatin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pitavastatin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pitavastatin (usually as a calcium salt) is a member of the blood cholesterol lowering medication class of statins. Pitavastatin is an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that catalyses the first step of cholesterol synthesis. It was patented in 1987 and approved for medical use in 2003. It is available in Japan, South Korea and in India. In the US, it received FDA approval in 2009. Kowa Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Kowa Company, is the owner of the American patent to pitavastatin.

Medical uses Pitavastatin is indicated for hypercholesterolaemia (elevated cholesterol) and for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A 2009 study of the 104-week LIVES trial found pitavastatin increased HDL cholesterol, especially in patients with HDL lower than 40 mg/dL, who had a 24.6% rise, in addition to reducing LDL cholesterol 31.3%. HDL improved in patients who switched from other statins and rose over time. In the 70-month CIRCLE observational study, pitavastatin increased HDL more than atorvastatin. It has neutral or possibly beneficial effects on glucose control. As a consequence, pitavastatin is likely to be appropriate for patients with metabolic syndrome plus high LDL, low HDL and diabetes mellitus.

Side effects Common statin-related side effects (headaches, stomach upset, abnormal liver function tests and muscle cramps) were similar to other statins. Pitavastatin is a lipophilic statin. Reports indicate that this statin may lead to fewer muscle side effects than other statins. One study found that coenzyme Q10 was not reduced as much as with certain other statins (though this is unlikely given the inherent chemistry of the HMG-CoA reductase pathway that all statin drugs inhibit). There is evidence that pitavastatin does not increase insulin resistance in humans, with insulin resistance assessed by the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) method. Hyperuricemia or increased levels of serum uric acid have been reported with pitavastatin.

Metabolism and interactions Statins are metabolised in part by one or more liver cytochrome P450 enzymes, leading to an increased potential for drug interactions and problems with certain foods (such as grapefruit juice). The primary metabolism pathway of pitavastatin is glucuronidation. It is minimally metabolized by the CYP450 enzymes CYP2C9 and CYP2C8, but not by CYP3A4 (which is a common source of interactions in other statins). As a result, it is less likely to interact with drugs that are metabolized via CYP3A4, which might be important for elderly patients who need to take multiple medicines.

History Pitavastatin (previously known as itavastatin, itabavastin, nisvastatin, NK-104, or NKS-104) was discovered in Japan by Nissan Chemical Industries and developed further by Kowa Pharmaceuticals, Tokyo. Pitavastatin was approved for use in the United States by the FDA in August 2009, under the brand name Livalo. Pitavastatin has been also approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in UK in August 2010. Zypitamag (pitavastatin magnesium), a pharmaceutical alternative to Livalo, was approved for use in the United States by the FDA in 2017.

Society and culture

Brand names Pitavastatin is marketed in the United States under the brand names Livalo and Zypitamag, and in the European Union and Russia under the brand name Livazo.

Research Synthetic lethality has been demonstrated in mice with triple-negative breast cancer by combining pitavastatin with the AKT inhibitor AZD5363 (capivasertib).

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pitavastatin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pitavastatin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pitavastatin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pitavastatin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pitavastatin

In research: Pitavastatin appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pitavastatin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pitavastatin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 4-Fluorophenyl compounds, Beta hydroxycarboxylic acids, Carboxylic acids, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pitavastatin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Pitavastatin” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Pitavastatin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pitavastatin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pitavastatin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pitavastatin in simple terms?

Why does Pitavastatin matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pitavastatin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pitavastatin.