Epadel

Epadel is a prescription pharmaceutical developed and marketed by Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., primarily in Japan. Its active ingredient is ethyl icosapentate (also known as icosapent ethyl), which is a highly purified ethyl ester of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Epadel is indicated for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis obliterans. It functions as a small molecule drug that reduces serum triglyceride levels by inhibiting hepatic triglyceride synthesis—likely through the inhibition of enzymes such as diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase (DGAT)—and by enhancing the clearance of triglycerides from circulating very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles. The drug has a long history of clinical use in Japan and was the subject of the landmark JELIS cardiovascular outcomes trial.

Brand names

Epadel

Other names

ethyl icosapentateicosapent ethyleicosapentaenoic acid ethyl esterEPA-E