Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Clarithromycin Interaction

Drug interaction information between Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Clarithromycin.

Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Clarithromycin have a documented minor interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a minor-severity interaction between Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Clarithromycin. This page displays the available source-record category and label text. The category is not an individual risk estimate or medication-combination direction.

Drug A

Ezetimibe/Simvastatin

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor / Statin Combination

Drug B

Clarithromycin

Macrolide Antibiotic

How They Interact

Clarithromycin blocks the enzyme that normally breaks down simvastatin in your body. This can cause the cholesterol medicine to build up to high levels in your blood.

FDA Label Information

Examples: Select azole anti-fungals (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole), select macrolide antibiotics (e.g., erythromycin and clarithromycin, telithromycin), select HIV protease inhibitors (e.g., nelfinavir, ritonavir, and darunavir/ritonavir), select HCV protease inhibitors (e.g., boceprevir and telaprevir), cobicistat-containing products, and nefazodone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What SPL severity band is on file for Ezetimibe/Simvastatin + Clarithromycin?

Compiled FDA labeling labels this pair minor. That is a source-record field, not an individual medication-combination decision.

Which drug in this pair has the larger labeled-interaction portfolio?

Clarithromycin has 81 labeled pairs on file vs Ezetimibe/Simvastatin's 23. In the minor band specifically: Ezetimibe/Simvastatin has 11 (also Ezetimibe, Fenofibrate, Ketoconazole, Erythromycin); Clarithromycin has 30 (also Amlodipine, Lorazepam, Diltiazem, Erythromycin).

What mechanism field is on file for Ezetimibe/Simvastatin and Clarithromycin?

Clarithromycin blocks the enzyme that normally breaks down simvastatin in your body. This can cause the cholesterol medicine to build up to high levels in your blood.

Clarithromycin carries more major-labeled pairs than Ezetimibe/Simvastatin

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is minor · classes on file: Ezetimibe/Simvastatin (Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor / Statin Combination); Clarithromycin (Macrolide Antibiotic).

Clarithromycin has 16 major-labeled pairs vs Ezetimibe/Simvastatin's 8. This page itself is in the minor band, not the major band.

Ezetimibe/Simvastatin

8 major · 4 moderate · 11 minor · 23 total

Clarithromycin

16 major · 35 moderate · 30 minor · 81 total

Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This registry does not provide individual medication-combination directions.