Vascular Health and Risk Management (Jan 2020)
Spotlight on Icosapent Ethyl for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: Evidence to Date
Abstract
Xiaoming Jia,1,* Stephanie Koh,1,* Mahmoud Al Rifai,1 Roger S Blumenthal,2 Salim S Virani1,3,4 1Section of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Health Policy, Quality & Informatics Program, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Health Services Research and Development Center for Innovations, Houston, TX, USA; 4Section of Cardiology, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Salim S ViraniHealth Services Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USATel +1 713-440-4410Email [email protected]: Icosapent ethyl is a highly purified formulation of eicosapentaenoic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid contained in fish oil. While omega-3 fatty acids have long been thought to have cardioprotective benefits, the Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with EPA-Intervention Trial (REDUCE-IT) has helped to establish icosapent ethyl as an evidence-based therapy for risk reduction of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). REDUCE-IT, however, was by no means an overnight success story. Close examination of the evidence shows that the trial was a culmination of many lessons learned from previous studies. The purpose of this manuscript is to review contemporary evidence of icosapent ethyl in ASCVD risk reduction and the clinical implication of this promising therapy.Keywords: omega-3 fatty acids, icosapent ethyl, eicosapentaneoic acid, cardiovascular outcome
