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Lovastatin

Lovastatin is a statin cholesterol medicine used with diet to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and other coronary heart disease problems.

Brand names AltoprevMevacorAltocor
Drug class Hmg-coa Reductase Inhibitor
Rx Form 1
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026 Content updated Oct 2, 2026
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand

The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 63 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →

✓No current FDA shortage listed · checked Oct 5, 2026
Lovastatin at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
The Pharmacist’s Take By · Clinical pharmacist · Written

Lovastatin is an older, milder statin, on the U.S. market since about 1996 and available generically, that blocks an enzyme the liver uses to make cholesterol; used with diet, it lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and cuts the risk of heart attack in people with high cholesterol or coronary heart disease. Most people tolerate it well, and the complaints that do come up tend to be stomach ones like gas or constipation, along with headache or mild muscle aches. Watch for unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, especially with dark urine, because it can rarely mean serious muscle breakdown that harms the kidneys; report it promptly.

Clinical pearls

  • Take the regular tablet with your evening meal, since lovastatin is meant to go down with food.
  • Skip grapefruit juice altogether, because it raises lovastatin levels and with them the risk of muscle damage.
  • Tell any prescriber you take lovastatin before starting clarithromycin, erythromycin or antifungals like itraconazole, which must never be combined with it.
  • Lovastatin is not used in pregnancy or breastfeeding, so stop it right away and tell your doctor if you become pregnant.
How we write & review this content — our editorial policy →
How you get itPrescription only
Comes asTablet
Earliest FDA record1987
Companies listing it with the FDA17
FDA label last updatedMar 11, 2026
FDA’s strongest warning (boxed)None on the label

Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Lovastatin, written from its FDA label.

What Lovastatin is used for

▾

Lovastatin is a statin used along with diet for these purposes (per the Lovastatin tablet label):

  • Reducing the risk of heart attack, unstable angina and coronary revascularization procedures in people without symptomatic heart disease
  • Slowing the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in people with coronary heart disease
  • Lowering total and LDL cholesterol in primary hypercholesterolemia
  • Lowering total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B in adolescents 10 to 17 with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia who meet certain criteria

How Lovastatin works

▾

Lovastatin blocks HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme your liver uses early in making cholesterol. With less cholesterol made, the liver builds more LDL receptors that pull LDL (“bad” cholesterol) out of the blood. Lovastatin may also lower VLDL, and apolipoprotein B falls as well.

Lovastatin dosage

▾

Lovastatin tablets are taken by mouth with meals, usually once a day with the evening meal. Some people take it in two divided doses. Your prescriber chooses the dose based on your cholesterol goal and adjusts it no more often than every 4 weeks.

  • Stay on a cholesterol-lowering diet.
  • Some medicines require a lower maximum dose.
  • Severe kidney problems call for careful dose increases.

Follow your prescriber and the label for dosing and any missed doses.

Dosing details from the FDA-approved label

From the Lovastatin prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.

  • Adult patients
    • Usual recommended starting dose is 20 mg once a day given with the evening meal
    • Recommended dosing range 10 to 80 mg/day in single or two divided doses
    • Patients requiring LDL-C reductions of 20% or more should start on 20 mg/day
    • A starting dose of 10 mg may be considered for patients requiring smaller reductions
    • Adjustments at intervals of 4 weeks or mor
    • Maximum: 80 mg/day
    • Give with meals; patient on standard cholesterol-lowering diet
  • Patients taking danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil
    • Begin with 10 mg of lovastatin
    • Maximum: 20 mg/day
    • Concomitant use with danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil
  • Patients taking amiodarone
    • Dose should not exceed 40 mg/day
    • Maximum: 40 mg/day
    • Concomitant use with amiodarone
  • Adolescent patients (10 to 17 years of age) with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia
    • Recommended dosing range 10 to 40 mg/day
    • Patients requiring LDL-C reductions of 20% or more should start on 20 mg/day
    • A starting dose of 10 mg may be considered for smaller reductions
    • Adjustments at intervals of 4 weeks or more
    • Maximum: 40 mg/day
  • Patients with severe renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min)
    • Dosage increases above 20 mg/day should be carefully considered and, if deemed necessary, implemented cautiously
    • Severe renal insufficiency, creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min
Read the label’s full dosing text

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving lovastatin tablets and should continue on this diet during treatment with lovastatin tablets (see NCEP Treatment Guidelines for details on dietary therapy). Lovastatin tablets should be given with meals. Adult Patients The usual recommended starting dose is 20 mg once a day given with the evening meal. The recommended dosing range of lovastatin is 10 to 80 mg/day in single or two divided doses; the maximum recommended dose is 80 mg/day. Doses should be individualized according to the recommended goal of therapy (see NCEP Treatment Guidelines and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY ). Patients requiring reductions in LDL-C of 20% or more to achieve their goal (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE ) should be started on 20 mg/day of lovastatin tablets. A starting dose of 10 mg of lovastatin may be considered for patients requiring smaller reductions. Adjustments should be made at intervals of 4 weeks or more. Cholesterol levels should be monitored periodically and consideration should be given to reducing the dosage of lovastatin tablets if cholesterol levels fall significantly below the targeted range. Dosage in Patients Taking Danazol, Diltiazem, Dronedarone or Verapamil In patients taking danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil concomitantly with lovastatin, therapy should begin with 10 mg of lovastatin and should not exceed 20 mg/day (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , Pharmacokinetics , WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis , PRECAUTIONS , Drug Interactions , Other Drug Interactions ). Dosage in Patients Taking Amiodarone In patients taking amiodarone concomitantly with lovastatin tablets, the dose should not exceed 40 mg/day (see WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis and PRECAUTIONS , Drug Interactions , Other Drug Interactions ). Adolescent Patients (10 to 17 Years of Age) With Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia The recommended dosing range of lovastatin is 10 to 40 mg/day; the maximum recommended dose is 40 mg/day. Doses should be individualized according to the recommended goal of therapy (see NCEP Pediatric Panel Guidelines 4 , CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , and INDICATIONS AND USAGE ). Patients requiring reductions in LDL-C of 20% or more to achieve their goal should be started on 20 mg/day of lovastatin tablets.

Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →

Lovastatin side effects

▾

Most people tolerate lovastatin well. Common effects include:

Common side effects

  • Gas (flatulence)
  • Constipation
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches (myalgia) or cramps
  • Dizziness, rash or blurred vision

When to get medical help

  • Call your doctor promptly for unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, especially with fever or feeling unwell.
  • Dark urine with muscle symptoms can signal rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle breakdown that can harm the kidneys); get medical help right away.
  • Seek care for signs of liver problems such as jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes).
  • Get urgent help for allergic reactions such as swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, or a severe skin rash.
  • Muscle weakness that continues after stopping a statin should be reported.
  • Tell your doctor about memory loss or confusion; these reports were generally reversible after stopping.

Lovastatin warnings and precautions

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  • Muscle damage: rarely myopathy or rhabdomyolysis, more likely at higher doses or with interacting drugs. Report unexplained muscle symptoms promptly.
  • Liver effects: enzyme rises can occur, and rare serious liver injury has been reported. Liver tests are advised before starting and as needed.
  • Blood sugar: increases in HbA1c and fasting glucose have been reported with statins.
  • Temporary hold: therapy should be withheld during serious acute conditions such as sepsis, major surgery, trauma or very low blood pressure.

Lovastatin interactions

▾

Several drugs and grapefruit juice can raise lovastatin levels or add to muscle risk.

  • Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (such as ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin, erythromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, nefazodone): contraindicated because they raise lovastatin levels.
  • Grapefruit juice: avoid; it raises lovastatin levels.
  • Gemfibrozil and cyclosporine: avoid due to muscle risk.
  • Danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone, verapamil, amiodarone: lower dose limits apply.
  • Other fibrates, niacin at 1 g/day or more, colchicine, ranolazine: higher muscle risk, so use caution.
  • Warfarin-type blood thinners: clotting time should be checked.

Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label

From the Lovastatin prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.

  • Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, clarithromycin, telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, boceprevir, telaprevir, nefazodone, erythromycin, cobicistat-containing products) and grapefruit juice: Increase the risk of myopathy by reducing the elimination of lovastatin. See CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.
  • Gemfibrozil, other fibrates, niacin (nicotinic acid) (≥ 1 g/day): The risk of myopathy is increased by these lipid-lowering drugs, which can cause myopathy when given alone. See WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.
  • Cyclosporine: The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased. See WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.
  • Danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil: The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased, particularly with higher doses of lovastatin. Begin with 10 mg lovastatin and do not exceed 20 mg/day.
  • Amiodarone: The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased when used with a closely related HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. Dose of lovastatin should not exceed 40 mg/day.
  • Coumarin anticoagulants: Bleeding and/or increased prothrombin time have been reported in a few patients taking coumarin anticoagulants with lovastatin. Determine prothrombin time before starting lovastatin and frequently enough during early therapy; once stable, monitor at usual intervals; repeat the procedure if the lovastatin dose is changed.
  • Colchicine: Cases of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, have been reported with lovastatin coadministered with colchicine. See WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.
  • Ranolazine: The risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, may be increased. See WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis.
  • Propranolol: No clinically significant pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interaction with single doses in normal volunteers.
  • Digoxin: No effect on digoxin plasma concentrations in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
Read the label’s full interactions text

Drug Interactions CYP3A4 Interactions Lovastatin is metabolized by CYP3A4 but has no CYP3A4 inhibitory activity; therefore it is not expected to affect the plasma concentrations of other drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. Strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, clarithromycin, telithromycin, HIV protease inhibitors, boceprevir, telaprevir, nefazodone, erythromycin, and cobicistat-containing products), and grapefruit juice increase the risk of myopathy by reducing the elimination of lovastatin (see CONTRAINDICATIONS , WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis , and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , Pharmacokinetics ). Interactions With Lipid-Lowering Drugs That Can Cause Myopathy When Given Alone The risk of myopathy is also increased by the following lipid-lowering drugs that are not strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, but which can cause myopathy when given alone. See WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis. Gemfibrozil Other fibrates Niacin (nicotinic acid) (≥ 1 g/day) Other Drug Interactions Cyclosporine The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant administration of cyclosporine (see WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ). Danazol, Diltiazem, Dronedarone or Verapamil The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant administration of danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil particularly with higher doses of lovastatin (see WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ; CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , Pharmacokinetics ). Amiodarone The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased when amiodarone is used concomitantly with a closely related member of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor class (see WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ). Coumarin Anticoagulants In a small clinical trial in which lovastatin was administered to warfarin treated patients, no effect on prothrombin time was detected.

Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Drug Interactions section on DailyMed →

Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.

🌿184 supplements and herbs with documented Lovastatin interactions, ranked by severity Check Lovastatin against a supplement or herb →

Before taking Lovastatin

▾
  • Do not use with active liver disease or unexplained persistent liver enzyme elevations.
  • Do not use if allergic to any ingredient.
  • Do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Tell your doctor about heavy alcohol use or a history of liver disease.
  • Tell your doctor about kidney problems, especially severe ones.
  • Older adults had higher drug levels in a study.
  • Adolescents 10 to 17 may use it only for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Lovastatin overdose

▾

In reported accidental overdoses, patients had no specific symptoms and recovered. Healthy volunteers took up to 200 mg as a single dose without significant problems. No specific treatment is recommended, so contact a doctor or poison control if you take too much.

What Lovastatin does in the body

▾

Lovastatin lowers LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. It acts by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and may reduce VLDL cholesterol while boosting LDL receptor activity, which increases LDL clearance.

How your body processes Lovastatin

▾

Lovastatin is converted in the body to its active form. It is heavily processed by the liver on first pass, so little reaches the general circulation. Levels peak about 2 to 4 hours after a dose and are higher when taken with food. It is broken down by the CYP3A4 enzyme and cleared mostly in feces (about 83%), with some in urine (about 10%).

How to store Lovastatin

▾

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F) . stored in a well-closed, light-resistant container.

Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →

184

Supplements & herbs that interact with Lovastatin

184 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Lovastatin in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.

Severity mix
  • Major · 8
  • Moderate · 140
  • Minor · 36
ACTIVATED CHARCOAL Major APPLE Major BEER Major GRAPEFRUIT Major SIBERIAN COCKLEBUR Major ST. JOHN'S WORT Major SWEET ORANGE Major WINE Major +176 more
Every supplement checked against Lovastatin — ranked by severity The full interaction hub: 8 major · 140 moderate · 36 minor · every one linked to its full report. Check Lovastatin against your exact supplements

Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.

1

Nutrient depletion considerations

Lovastatin has been associated with lower levels of 1 nutrient in the clinical literature. This does not mean a deficiency will occur — it means these may be worth discussing with your pharmacist or healthcare provider, especially with long-term use.

COENZYME Q10 Insufficient Evidence
See the full Lovastatin nutrient depletion report

Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — not medical advice. Do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.

Lovastatin: pharmacist answers to common questions

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Lovastatin — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

What is lovastatin for?

▾
It's a statin that lowers LDL cholesterol when diet alone isn't enough. It also lowers the risk of heart attack and slows coronary atherosclerosis in people with coronary heart disease. Some adolescents with familial hypercholesterolemia may use it too.

How should I take it?

▾
Take your tablets by mouth with meals, usually with the evening meal. Keep following your cholesterol-lowering diet. Your prescriber will set and adjust your dose, so follow their directions.

What side effects are common?

▾
Gas, constipation, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, headache and mild muscle aches are the most reported. Most are mild. In studies they were not statistically different from placebo.

When should I call you or my doctor?

▾
Call promptly for unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, especially with fever or feeling unwell. Also call for yellowing of the skin or eyes, or signs of a serious allergy. Don't wait on these.

Can I drink grapefruit juice or take my other medicines with it?

▾
Avoid grapefruit juice because it raises lovastatin levels and muscle risk. Some medicines, including certain antifungals, antibiotics, HIV drugs, gemfibrozil and cyclosporine, can't be combined or need dose limits. Tell me about everything you take, including blood thinners.

Is it safe in pregnancy?

▾
No. Lovastatin is not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you become pregnant, stop it right away and call your doctor.

Is Lovastatin available over the counter?

▾
No. Lovastatin is a prescription medicine: every Lovastatin product listed with the FDA is prescription only, so it is not sold over the counter. Your prescriber decides whether it is appropriate for you, and your pharmacist dispenses it.

When was Lovastatin first available?

▾
The earliest FDA record we hold for Lovastatin is from 1987: its first approval in Drugs@FDA or its earliest product listing in the NDC Directory, whichever is older. Many older medicines were in use before their first formal FDA approval, so this is the earliest date on record, not necessarily when Lovastatin was first used.

Who makes Lovastatin?

▾
17 companies currently list Lovastatin products in the FDA's NDC Directory, including Proficient Rx LP, Bryant Ranch Prepack, NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. That count includes repackagers and distributors as well as manufacturers (companies that sell only the raw ingredient are not counted), so fewer companies actually make it; the label on your bottle names the one that supplied yours.

Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →

More about Lovastatin on HelloPharmacist

📊Lovastatin supplement interactions184 checked — ranked by severity 🌿Drug & Supplement CheckerLovastatin vs. vitamins & herbs 💬Ask a PharmacistFree answer, usually < 24h 🔎NDC & pricing lookupFind Lovastatin NDCs & costs 🅰️Browse Drugs A–ZLook up any medication
Detailed data & references for Lovastatin Forms & strengths, pricing, billing codes, manufacturers, safety reports and sourcing — the data behind the page. Most people can stop here. Each section below opens on a tap.

Lovastatin forms and strengths (how it comes)

Lovastatin is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.

Tablet

By mouth
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Lovastatin tablets are used with diet to lower total and LDL cholesterol in primary hypercholesterolemia.
  • Lovastatin tablets reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina and coronary revascularization in people without symptomatic heart disease.
  • Lovastatin tablets slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in people with coronary heart disease.
  • Lovastatin tablets are used in adolescents 10 to 17 with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia who meet the criteria.
Important instructions
  • Lovastatin tablets should be taken by mouth with meals.
  • Lovastatin tablets are usually taken once daily with the evening meal, but can be given in two divided doses.
  • Stay on a cholesterol-lowering diet while taking Lovastatin tablets.
  • Follow your prescriber's directions for dose adjustments.
Available strengths 3 strengths
10 mg 20 mg 40 mg
160 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

Lovastatin on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands

How Lovastatin appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.

17 companies list 72 Lovastatin product records with the FDA, mostly as tablet; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1987. Brand names on the directory include Altoprev, Mevacor, Altocor; the rest are generics.

1
Dose forms ⓘ
17
Labelers (makers, repackagers, distributors)
1
Brand names
72
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
1987
Earliest FDA record ⓘ

Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (10) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.

Proficient Rx LP14%
Bryant Ranch Prepack13%
NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.10%
A-S Medication Solutions8%
PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.7%
Preferred Pharmaceuticals, Inc.7%
Other makers42%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

How widely Lovastatin is used (Medicaid data)

A general measure of how commonly Lovastatin is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.

Think of this as a proxy for how widely Lovastatin is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.

141,955
Medicaid prescriptions filled (Q1–Q4 2025)
$1.5M gross Medicaid reimbursement (before mandatory rebates — net cost is lower)

How commonly is Lovastatin prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Lovastatin ranks #446 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 72% of them.

Where Lovastatin ranks among the drugs we measure · Q1–Q4 2025 · neighbors ±5
Total prescriptions — #446 of 1,601
#441 Levodopa and Carbidopa 143,727 Rx #442 Roflumilast 143,447 Rx #443 Scopolamine Transderma... 143,028 Rx #444 Somatropin 142,879 Rx #445 Indomethacin 142,731 Rx #446 Lovastatin 141,955 Rx #447 Regadenoson 141,955 Rx #448 Dexlansoprazole 141,938 Rx #449 Levocarnitine 141,917 Rx #450 Acetazolamide 141,794 Rx #451 Letrozole 140,810 Rx

Utilization by Lovastatin product

Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.

The 20 mg oral tablet is the most-dispensed Lovastatin product — about 46% of these Medicaid prescriptions.

lovastatin 20 MG Oral Tablet Most dispensed

65,098 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 46% of Lovastatin prescriptions shown $673,329 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $10 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 10 of 115 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197904

lovastatin 40 MG Oral Tablet

54,661 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 39% of Lovastatin prescriptions shown $628,796 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $12 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 10 of 108 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197905

lovastatin 10 MG Oral Tablet

22,196 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 16% of Lovastatin prescriptions shown $228,177 gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $10 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 8 of 106 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197903

Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.

Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Lovastatin, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 28 of 329 listed Lovastatin NDCs with Medicaid activity.

Compare Lovastatin products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Lovastatin — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)

Showing 72 of 72 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 72 Lovastatin NDCs →

Lovastatin recall history

A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.

The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Lovastatin recalls since July 2021.

✅No Lovastatin recalls on record since July 2021

Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.

RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength

This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.

Ingredient (IN) Lovastatin RxCUI 6472 2 dose forms · 6 strengths
  1. Dose form (SCDF) Extended Release Oral Tablet RxCUI 378724 No current FDA listing
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 24 HR lovastatin 20 MG RxCUI 433849 24 HR lovastatin 40 MG RxCUI 359731 24 HR lovastatin 60 MG RxCUI 359732
  2. Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 372652 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 10 MG RxCUI 197903 20 MG RxCUI 197904 40 MG RxCUI 197905

Look up RxCUI 6472 in the RxCUI Atlas →

RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.

💵 What Lovastatin costs pharmacies (NADAC benchmark)

The national average invoice price pharmacies pay for the drug itself, from CMS's NADAC survey (data as of Sep 30, 2026). This is a supply-cost benchmark — not a retail price and not what you'd pay at the counter.

FormStrengthPharmacy acquisition benchmark
Tablet · Oral 20 mg $0.044 per tablet NDC details & price history
Tablet · Oral 40 mg $0.055 per tablet NDC details & price history
Tablet · Oral 10 mg $0.037 per tablet NDC details & price history
Why show this? Your out-of-pocket cost depends on insurance, pharmacy markup, and discounts — but the acquisition benchmark tells you whether the medication itself is inexpensive or costly, which strengths cost more per dose, and whether a cash-price quote is in a reasonable range. Each row links to the NDC-level record with its full price history.

Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), a survey of retail pharmacy invoice prices. Benchmarks shown are the range across package sizes of a representative product for each form and strength — other manufacturers' products may differ.

Lovastatin brand names

Lovastatin is sold under 3 brand names in the FDA directory — Altoprev, Mevacor, Altocor. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.

Altoprev Mevacor Altocor

Who makes Lovastatin: manufacturers and labelers

17 companies list Lovastatin products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Proficient Rx LP, Bryant Ranch Prepack, NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.

Proficient Rx LP 10 Bryant Ranch Prepack 9 NuCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 7 A-S Medication Solutions 6 PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 5 Preferred Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 5 Northwind Health Company, LLC 4 BluePoint Laboratories 3 Carlsbad Technology, Inc. 3 Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. 3 Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3 Remedyrepack Inc. 3 Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. 3 Aphena Pharma Solutions - Tennessee, LLC 2 Boswell Pharmacy Services LLC d/b/a BPS Wholesale 2 Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, LLC 2 NCS HealthCare of KY, LLC dba Vangard Labs 2

Lovastatin drug class (RxNorm)

Lovastatin belongs to the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor class.

Pharmacologic class HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor
Drug family (ATC) HMG CoA reductase inhibitors
How it works Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.

Sources for this Lovastatin page

Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Mar 11, 2026
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Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Lovastatin.
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Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
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Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Lovastatin after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
63
Finished products in the current FDA directory
72
Companies listing them (makers, repackagers, distributors)
17
FDA labeler codes behind them ⓘ
22
Linked representative label ⓘ
Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, LLC
Linked label effective
Mar 11, 2026
Composite sections available
17
Linked SPL Set ID
a4f02fa1-3281-46fa-bd52-323e2644b6f8
Linked SPL Document ID
4cc241a1-d876-0439-e063-6394a90a2733
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗

How this page is built

HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, LLC is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →