Simvastatin and Erythromycin Interaction

Drug interaction information between Simvastatin and Erythromycin.

Simvastatin and Erythromycin have a documented minor interaction in FDA labeling.

FDA drug labeling documents a minor-severity interaction between Simvastatin and Erythromycin. 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

Simvastatin

HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin)

Drug B

Erythromycin

Macrolide Antibiotic

How They Interact

Erythromycin interferes with the way your body clears simvastatin, which can lead to a buildup of the medication 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 Simvastatin + Erythromycin?

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?

Erythromycin has 63 labeled pairs on file vs Simvastatin's 41. In the minor band specifically: Simvastatin has 21 (also Fenofibrate, Ketoconazole, Clarithromycin, Darunavir); Erythromycin has 53 (also Acetaminophen/Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Atorvastatin, Bromocriptine).

What mechanism field is on file for Simvastatin and Erythromycin?

Erythromycin interferes with the way your body clears simvastatin, which can lead to a buildup of the medication in your blood.

Simvastatin carries more major-labeled pairs than Erythromycin

SPL source-record counts only. This page's band is minor · classes on file: Simvastatin (HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin)); Erythromycin (Macrolide Antibiotic).

Simvastatin has 11 major-labeled pairs vs Erythromycin's 4. This page itself is in the minor band, not the major band.

Simvastatin

11 major · 9 moderate · 21 minor · 41 total

Erythromycin

4 major · 6 moderate · 53 minor · 63 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.