High Cholesterol The Lowdown O (NAPSA)—According to the Administration (FDA) that has been shown, along with diet, to help National Institutes of Health, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease. Some risk factors for coronary heart disease, including lack of physical activity, smoking, and an unhealthy diet, can be controlled. Others cannot, such as age and a family history of heart disease. One of the major risk factors that can be modified is high cholesterol, particularly the “bad” low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C. What You Can Do Fortunately, there are steps everyone can take to reduce their risk of heart troubles. Theseinclude: Eat a healthy diet, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to limit saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Maintain a healthy weight. e Work with your doctor to determine the level of physical activity right for you. The Surgeon General recommendsyou exercise forat least 30 minutes on most days. Don't smoke. Limit alcoholuse. e If you are taking any medication, always follow your doctor's instructions. @ reduce LDL-C, total cholesterol and triglycerides. It has also been shown to help increase HDL-C. According to Michael H. Davidson, M.D., director of Preventive Cardiology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, ——_ Many Americans can take steps to lower their cholesterol and reducetheir risk of heart disease. When Medicines May Be Needed To Control Cholesterol While diet and exercise are ways to help reduce cholesterol, they are often not enough. Therefore, the use of cholesterol medications plays an importantrole in the treatment of many patients with high cholesterol. While there are many options, many patients remain untreated or are unable to tolerate certain drugs, suggesting that both physicians and patients may benefit from new treatmentoptions. A New Treatment Option If changes in diet are not enough, Livalo from Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company is a new statin approved by the Food and Drug “Physicians and pharmacists caring for patients with high cholesterol must consider how each medicine interacts with others since manyin this patient population take multiple medications for diverse conditions.” Doctors may consider Livalo an attractive option for their patients on multiple medications. This is because Livalo is marginally metabolized through the cytochrome P450 system in theliver. This is important becausethis system is required for metabolism by over 75 percent of drugs metabolized. While most drugs, including Livalo, can cause drug-drug interactions, the potential for Livalo to cause a drug interaction by interfering with this system may be reduced. As with any medication, patients should discuss with their doctors any other medications they are currently taking. The most common side effects of Livalo include muscle pain, back pain, constipation, diarrhea or pain in the armsandlegs. You may also learn more at www.LivaloRx.com. What are important things that physicians and patients should know before prescribing or taking Livalo? Livalo is not right for everyone, including patients who previously have had an allergic reaction to Livalo or any ofits components, anyone with active liver problems, those with severe kidney disease not yet on hemodialysis, or women who are nursing, pregnant or who may become pregnant. Patients taking Livalo should not take a drug called cyclosporine. Patients taking Livalo shouldtell their doctor immediately if they experience any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, particularly if accompanied by fever or a general feeling of discomfort. This could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. It is recommended that physicians conduct blood tests to monitor patients’ liver function before starting Livalo, at 12 weeksfollowing the start of Livalo or after any increase in dose and then periodically (e.g., every six months) thereafter. The most common side effects of Livalo in clinical studies were muscle pain, back pain, constipation, diarrhea and pain in the legs or arms. This is not a completelist of side effects. Livalo has not been studied to understandits effect in reducing heart-related disease or death. Patients should tell their doctor about all the medications they take, including all prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins or herbal supplements. To learn more about the safety and efficacy of Livalo, see the Full Prescribing Information at http: / /www.Livalorx.com /documents / LivalopitavastatinprescribinginformationV1_220100131.pdf. This content was reviewed by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company. LIVALO?is a registered trademark of the Kowa group of companies. Copyright 2010. Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company.
