Two medicines, side by side
Fluvastatin vs lovastatin
Fluvastatin and lovastatin are both labeled for high cholesterol. Drugs@FDA records approvals of fluvastatin since 1993 and of lovastatin since 1987. Pharmacies paid $2.88 per fluvastatin ER 80 mg tablet and $0.0436 per lovastatin 20 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the fluvastatin FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 21, 2025); the lovastatin FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 6, 2026).
Highlights of the fluvastatin record
Fluvastatin (Lescol) · label of April 21, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsTherapy with lipid-altering agents should be only one component of multiple risk factor intervention in individuals at significantly increased risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease due to hypercholesterolemia. Drug therapy is indicated as an adjunct to diet when the response to a diet restricted in saturated fat and cholesterol and other non-pharmacologic measures alone has been inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 31, 1993
- Generic labelers
- 4 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $2.88 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 2
Highlights of the lovastatin record
Lovastatin (Mevacor) · label of May 6, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsTherapy with lovastatin tablets USP should be a component of multiple risk factor intervention in those individuals with dyslipidemia at risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 31, 1987
- Generic labelers
- 19 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0436 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 4
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Fluvastatin label of April 21, 2025, Lovastatin label of May 6, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do fluvastatin and lovastatin differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.
Generics: fluvastatin since 2012; lovastatin since 2001 (Drugs@FDA).
| Fluvastatin | Lovastatin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High cholesterol | High cholesterol, Heart attack and coronary artery disease |
| Pharmacologic class | HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor | HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor |
| How it works (label) | Fluvastatin sodium is a competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme that converts 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) to mevalonate, a precursor of sterols, including cholesterol. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life (t 1/2 ) of fluvastatin is approximately 3 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 31, 1993 | August 31, 1987 |
| First generic approved | April 11, 2012 | December 17, 2001 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 4 labelers | 19 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $2.88 per tablet (Fluvastatin ER 80 mg tablet) | $0.0436 per tablet (Lovastatin 20 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | +4% | -6% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 4 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 7,505 | 25,526 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Fluvastatin label, drug interactionsBleeding and/or increased prothrombin times have been reported in patients taking coumarin anticoagulants concomitantly with other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to fluvastatin
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions