What this pack is
MEVACOR is the brand name in this record; lovastatin is the generic name. Read both together with the dosage form (oral tablet).
PACK CHECK · MARKET FIRST
MEVACORGeneric namelovastatin
How this medicine works
Lovastatin is converted in the body to an active form that inhibits HMG-CoA reductase in the cholesterol-synthesis pathway. This explains the class but does not make lovastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin or simvastatin directly milligram-convertible.
Read source: United States ↗Historical public record · reviewed 2026-08-30More about its action and precautions →Check the market, names, dosage form and route together
A medicine may use different brand names across markets. Keep the market, brand, generic name, dosage form and route together; one matching field does not prove that two packs are the same or interchangeable.
Open the complete product-identity record
Use these fields when the pack, market name or package image needs closer checking. They are evidence boundaries, not substitution instructions.
- International brand name
- MEVACOR
- Source-scoped market brand names
- MEVACOR · United States (historical)Historical public record ↗Historical originator brand under NDA 019643; all 10/20/40 mg rows are currently DISCN and do not establish supply.
The evidence status and note below apply only to the stated market and source. They do not prove that packs in different markets can be substituted.
- Generic name
- lovastatin
- Dosage-form class
- Historical MEVACOR products and the current generic comparator are conventional lovastatin oral tablets. ALTOPREV is an extended-release lovastatin tablet under a different NDA, while ADVICOR also contains niacin. Conventional, extended-release and combination products must not be conflated, assembled or substituted from a brand name or total milligrams
- Route
- Oral
- Package-image status
- A source-linked public label image is available below
No source-verifiable mainland-China trade-name cue has been established for this record. This does not establish whether the medicine exists, is approved or is available in mainland China. Check pack text and current CDE/NMPA records item by item.
FOR EVERYDAY QUESTIONS
After the leaflet, continue with the question you still need to check
What this page can show
This is a source-traceable public record. It helps you read the product identity and its listed source documents; each market still needs its own current record check.
What to bring to the next conversation
Bring the actual pack, the label or prescription, and a complete medicine list when you speak with a pharmacist or clinician.
NEXT SAFE STEP
Choose the next safe check
A question about changing, combining or splitting?Put the exact packs on one list before a pharmacist or prescriber checks the full context.Open the family medicine list →A question about cost, reimbursement or availability?First lock the market, exact presentation and date. Use local official reimbursement, hospital or pharmacy channels for a current answer rather than a web estimate.Open regulator and market-record entry points →Unsure about a pack or a cross-border product?Photo reading can return possible record matches only. Check the actual product against the current regulator record for its market.Identify pack text locally →Saw a recall, approval or procurement headline?Open the original publisher, then match its product, market and date. Do not make a stop or switch decision from a headline.Read primary-source news →
PRODUCT PRESENTATION IDENTITY
Strength, pack and device identity
Package strength is not an individual dose. These fields help identify the exact labelled product; they do not calculate how much, how often, a missed-use action, splitting, switching or conversion.
How to read a score line: ‘scored’ or ‘unscored’ first identifies this labelled presentation. A score line by itself does not permit self-splitting, reducing or changing the product. Only an explicit statement in the current label for this exact presentation, checked with a pharmacist against the prescription, can support any further handling.
4 source-backed strength, pack or device records — open the full list
First match the market, dosage form and labelled amount on the pack in hand. The number of tablets, sachets or devices in a pack is not a personal dose or schedule.
United States label · Historical FDA Orange Book brand row; the 2012 brand label is retained only for historical reading
Lovastatin 10 mg per tablet; currently listed by FDA as DISCN
Source-text identity card: no displayable exact official package image. The fields below come from the cited label and are not a visual authentication result.
- Product code
- NDA 019643 / product 002
- Form and route
- MEVACOR lovastatin 10 mg conventional oral tablet (historical originator brand) · oral (historical brand product-identity field)
- Listing review
- Cited product evidence reviewed 2026-08-30; actual marketing, stock and availability are not established.
- lovastatin
- 10 mghistorical brand amount per tablet; not an individual's tablet count, frequency, switch or intensity conversion
United States label · Historical FDA Orange Book brand row; the 2012 brand label is retained only for historical reading
Lovastatin 20 mg per tablet; currently listed by FDA as DISCN
Source-text identity card: no displayable exact official package image. The fields below come from the cited label and are not a visual authentication result.
- Product code
- NDA 019643 / product 003
- Form and route
- MEVACOR lovastatin 20 mg conventional oral tablet (historical originator brand) · oral (historical brand product-identity field)
- Listing review
- Cited product evidence reviewed 2026-08-30; actual marketing, stock and availability are not established.
- lovastatin
- 20 mghistorical brand amount per tablet; not an individual's tablet count, frequency, switch or intensity conversion
United States label · Historical FDA Orange Book brand row; the 2012 brand label is retained only for historical reading
Lovastatin 40 mg per tablet; currently listed by FDA as DISCN
Source-text identity card: no displayable exact official package image. The fields below come from the cited label and are not a visual authentication result.
- Product code
- NDA 019643 / product 004
- Form and route
- MEVACOR lovastatin 40 mg conventional oral tablet (historical originator brand) · oral (historical brand product-identity field)
- Listing review
- Cited product evidence reviewed 2026-08-30; actual marketing, stock and availability are not established.
- lovastatin
- 40 mghistorical brand amount per tablet; not an individual's tablet count, frequency, switch or intensity conversion
United States label · Current U.S. DailyMed generic label (updated 28 Feb 2025; published 5 Mar 2025)
Lovastatin 40 mg per tablet; 1,000-tablet bottle; ANDA 075991 generic comparator
- Product code
- NDC 43063-548-95
- Form and route
- PD-Rx lovastatin 40 mg conventional oral tablet (current generic comparator) · oral (current generic product-identity field)
- Container
- bottle
- Listing review
- Current label display and NDC Directory listing reviewed 2026-08-30; actual marketing, stock and availability are not established.
- lovastatin
- 40 mgcurrent labelled amount per tablet; not an individual's tablet count, frequency, course or conversion to another statin
- Package
- 1000 tablets per bottle
- Labelled appearance
- white to off-white · round, unscored · imprint CTI 143Unscored in this labelled presentation
PUBLIC LABEL IMAGE
Appearance and package-text clues
This current public-label package panel helps check the brand, generic name, strength and dosage-form clues only. It does not authenticate a product in hand or establish originator status, availability, sale eligibility, another package or another market.
Open the public label source ↗LABEL READING · NOT A PRESCRIPTION
MEVACOR / lovastatin label reading: first check interactions, muscle symptoms and exact dosage form
Reading level: drug-specific label reading. This record has been expanded around its dosage form or a higher-risk reading question; the current target-market label and professional review still apply.
This module uses the historical MEVACOR label, Orange Book and a current generic label to identify conventional lovastatin tablets and risk cues. It does not generate personal tablet counts, timing, frequency, switching, stopping or intensity conversion.
- Clarithromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole and other strong CYP3A inhibitors create important interaction boundaries with lovastatin. Other medicines may also require review. Do not self-separate times, reduce, stop or continue from this page; have the prescribing team or pharmacist check all prescription, OTC and supplement products.
- Unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, cramps or weakness, especially with marked fatigue, fever or dark urine, may need prompt assessment. Use local emergency services for severe or rapidly worsening signs rather than waiting for a webpage to decide whether rhabdomyolysis is present.
- Pregnancy, possible pregnancy, pregnancy planning or breastfeeding requires prompt review of the current label and clinical plan. Do not self-continue, stop, use alternate days or switch statins from a historical label or webpage.
- Historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg and the current 40 mg generic comparator are conventional-tablet identities. ALTOPREV is extended-release and ADVICOR also contains niacin. Form, ingredients, strength, NDA/ANDA, NDC and target market must be checked together.
- Older age, liver or kidney dysfunction, thyroid disease, previous muscle reactions, other lipid-lowering medicines or heavy alcohol use may change professional judgement. The site does not select an individual medicine from age, one laboratory result or one name.
PHARMACOVIGILANCE · OFFICIAL ROUTES
Check safety information in the right market
Start with the public label or product record linked to this dossier, then use the official safety routes below for the market that applies to the medicine in hand.
Match five details before using a safety record
- Brand and generic nameBoth must match the medicine named by the record.
- Dosage form and strengthTablet, capsule, injection, inhaler, patch and eye drop are not interchangeable.
- Market and notice dateA record applies only to the country or region and date it names.
- Lot, pack and manufacturerRecord these only when the official notice specifically names them.
- Current product informationA historical record may have been superseded by the current label.
This checklist only helps organise the right question. It does not create a personal conclusion about stopping, switching, dose, combination or suitability.
This dossier’s product-level source checkU.S. National Library of Medicine DailyMed · United States · Public medicine label · 2026-08-30
This dossier’s publicly accessible product-level route has been checked individually. It does not mean that real-time alerts in every country or region have been searched, or that the medicine has or does not have a current risk.
Markets actually represented by the reviewed product documents
- United States · 3
This is a document-coverage summary, not a claim that the medicine is authorised, supplied, interchangeable or actively monitored in every listed market today.
This record’s label or product-record routeDailyMed (NLM): current U.S. PD-Rx lovastatin 40 mg generic label (SPL v26, published 5 Mar 2025) ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
Other official market or version documents for this record
These are separately reviewed product documents for the same dossier. Their market, date, dosage form and document status must stay attached to each link; they do not establish interchangeability between products, strengths, packs, indications or countries.
- FDA · United States · Regulatory product record or label archive · 2026-08-30FDA: historical MEVACOR (lovastatin) label under NDA 019643 (2012; explicitly not the latest label) ↗Historical public record · reviewed 2026-08-30
- FDA · United States · Regulatory product record or label archive · 2026-08-30FDA Orange Book: historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg brand rows under NDA 019643 ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
This is not a conclusion that the medicine has no risk, warning, recall or newer notice in another market. Start with the checked product-level label above, then use the official market gateways below for the product in hand.
See the reviewed safety-record directory →Global official safety gateways
- NMPA Centre for Drug Reevaluation · Mainland ChinaPrimary NMPA Drug Evaluation Centre gateway for drug-vigilance bulletins, safety notices and adverse-reaction monitoring. Exact products still require checking approval number, dosage form, strength, authorisation holder and notice date item by item.Drug-vigilance bulletins and safety notices ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- FDA · United StatesPrimary FDA pages for important new safety issues, labelling changes and risk communications.Drug Safety Communications ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- FDA MedWatch · United StatesU.S. MedWatch safety-information and reporting gateway; a report does not itself establish causality.Safety information and serious-problem reporting ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- EMA · European Union / European Economic AreaOfficial EU gateway for pharmacovigilance, suspected adverse-reaction reports and PRAC safety assessment.Pharmacovigilance overview and EudraVigilance ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- MHRA · United KingdomPrimary UK MHRA medicine-safety updates for professionals and the public.Drug Safety Update ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- PMDA · JapanPMDA’s English official safety gateway; exact products still require checking against the Japanese product page and current documents.Medicine safety information ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- MFDS · Republic of KoreaMFDS’s primary index for medicine safety letters in the Republic of Korea. The original notices are in Korean and must be read against the named product, dosage form, market and date; they do not automatically apply in another market or decide an individual case.Medicine safety letters ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- HSA · SingaporeHSA’s public Singapore gateway for suspected adverse-event reporting and medicine-safety information. A report does not itself establish individual causality; exact products still require checking Singapore registration status, dosage form, strength, date and current product information.Adverse-event reporting and medicine-safety information ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- Health Canada · CanadaHealth Canada’s public MedEffect gateway for medicine and health-product advisories, warnings, recalls, reporting and safety information. Exact products still require checking market, dosage form, strength, notice date and lot item by item.MedEffect Canada: advisories, warnings and recalls ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- TGA · AustraliaPrimary Australian TGA safety alerts, advisories and monitoring information for therapeutic products.Medicine safety alerts ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- Swissmedic · SwitzerlandOfficial Swissmedic gateway for pharmacovigilance, signal assessment and suspected adverse-reaction reporting; a report or signal does not itself confirm individual causality.Pharmacovigilance and suspected adverse-reaction reporting ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- Medsafe · New ZealandNew Zealand Medsafe gateway for public and professional medicine safety communications and archives; older notices may have been superseded by current product information.Medicine safety communications ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- SAHPRA · South AfricaSAHPRA’s safety-information, alerts and pharmacovigilance gateway for the public and professionals in South Africa. An official alert does not itself mean a product is unsafe in every circumstance; exact products still require checking South African registration status, dosage form, strength, notice date and current product information.Medicine safety information, alerts and pharmacovigilance ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- WHO · GlobalWHO’s cross-market safety-alert archive; every historical notice must be read against its date, named product and market.Medicine and vaccine safety-alert archive ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
- Anvisa · BrazilAnvisa’s primary Brazilian pharmacovigilance gateway for alerts, bulletins, risk communication and VigiMed reporting. Exact products still require checking Brazilian authorisation status, dosage form, strength and notice date item by item.Pharmacovigilance, alerts and VigiMed ↗reviewed 2026-08-22
This card brings together the medicine-specific product route and 15 market-level official vigilance gateways. It does not mean real-time alerts for this medicine have been searched in every country or region, or that the medicine has a new alert, recall or risk conclusion. Match brand, generic name, dosage form, strength, market and notice date item by item; do not self-stop, switch, increase or reduce use from a headline.
For severe or rapidly worsening symptoms, suspected overdose, a severe allergic reaction, loss of consciousness or another emergency, use local emergency services. Do not wait for an online alert search or change a medicine from this page.
PRIVATE FAMILY LIST
Bring this record into a local medicine list
Only the brand, generic name, dosage form and route are added, and they stay in this browser. Copy strength, label directions, start/stop history and any concern from the actual pack; this tool does not calculate a dose or decide combination, switching or stopping.
Add to the family medicine list →PACK · LABEL · MEDICINE LIST
Six checks for this medicine pack
Use this card to organise questions about MEVACOR (lovastatin). Keep the exact pack, its current label and the full medicine list together.
Identify the exact product
MEVACOR is the brand in this record and lovastatin is the active-ingredient name. Check both with the dosage form (Historical MEVACOR products and the current generic comparator are conventional lovastatin oral tablets. ALTOPREV is an extended-release lovastatin tablet under a different NDA, while ADVICOR also contains niacin. Conventional, extended-release and combination products must not be conflated, assembled or substituted from a brand name or total milligrams) and the market on the actual pack.
Read the labelled strength in context
mg, mcg, mg/mL or a percentage describes the labelled amount in one tablet, capsule, measured volume, spray or other unit. It is not an answer to how many units a person should take.
Check before splitting or opening
Before splitting, crushing, chewing or opening anything, find an explicit instruction for this exact product in its current label and ask a pharmacist. A score line or a previous pack is not enough by itself.
Put every product on one list
Include prescriptions, over-the-counter products, eye drops, creams, vitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements. A pharmacist or prescriber needs the whole list before any combination, alternation, switch or stop is considered.
Ask a specific pharmacogenetics question
Ask which medicine, which gene and what clinical decision a result could change. A gene–drug association does not mean broad genetic testing is needed for everyone and must not be used to change treatment without professional review.
Know when to seek urgent help
For a suspected overdose, a severe allergic reaction, fainting or difficulty breathing, use the local emergency or poison-information service now. Do not wait for a website reply or alter several medicines to test what caused it.
This card does not calculate a dose, decide whether medicines can be combined, or replace a clinician or pharmacist. Market-specific current labels and the person's full context still need review.
MARKET DOCUMENTS · READ SEPARATELY
Enlarged market leaflets and regulator documents
Each link retains its own market, date, dosage form and document status. These documents support larger-print reading and item-by-item checking; they do not make products, strengths, packs, indications or use between countries or regions interchangeable.
- DailyMed (NLM): current U.S. PD-Rx lovastatin 40 mg generic label (SPL v26, published 5 Mar 2025) ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
- FDA: historical MEVACOR (lovastatin) label under NDA 019643 (2012; explicitly not the latest label) ↗Historical public record · reviewed 2026-08-30
- FDA Orange Book: historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg brand rows under NDA 019643 ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
HOW IT WORKS · NOT A TREATMENT PLAN
How lovastatin works: HMG-CoA reductase inhibition is not a statin equivalence table
- A shared statin class does not mean dose equivalence or permit day-by-day use, alternate-day rotation, combination or substitution with leftover medicine. Exact product, full medicine list, indication, laboratory results, liver/kidney function and treatment goal all matter.
- A shared mechanism does not prove that an originator is always more suitable for an individual, nor can brand, price or appearance alone decide generic substitution. Regulatory approval, dosage form, quality standards and prescribing plan require separate checks.
- Pharmacogenetic information may matter for a specific clinical question, but lovastatin or the word statin does not mean everyone needs whole-genome screening. Testing and interpretation require a qualified professional using the exact medicine and history.
SOURCE EVIDENCE REGISTER
Source evidence map
Every public link is labelled with its market, document status and document type. A historical public record is not a current label, and an official lookup entry is not a product-specific record.
- Merck: 1987 introduction of lovastatin, the first commercial statin approved by FDA ↗reviewed 2026-08-30
- FDA: historical MEVACOR (lovastatin) label under NDA 019643 (2012; explicitly not the latest label) ↗Historical public record · reviewed 2026-08-30
- FDA Orange Book: historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg brand rows under NDA 019643 ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
- DailyMed (NLM): current U.S. PD-Rx lovastatin 40 mg generic label (SPL v26, published 5 Mar 2025) ↗Current regulatory record · reviewed 2026-08-30
SOURCE-TRACEABLE ARCHIVE
MEVACORlovastatin
This page includes an exact current U.S. public-label package panel for MEVACOR, alongside documentary primary-source material. It helps check product identity, but does not itself establish originator status, product quality, availability or sale eligibility.
DOCUMENT TIMELINE
Document timeline
U.S. approval of MEVACOR 20 mg
Orange Book records NDA 019643 product 003; Merck places lovastatin in its 1987 first-commercial-statin history.
FDA Orange Book: historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg brand rows under NDA 019643 ↗Historical 40 mg and 10 mg strength approvals
These dates identify historical brand strengths and do not establish current purchase availability, individual suitability or interchangeability.
FDA Orange Book: historical MEVACOR 10/20/40 mg brand rows under NDA 019643 ↗Historical-brand and current-generic status review
All three MEVACOR strengths are DISCN; a current DailyMed 40 mg generic comparator is displayed separately and is not presented as the brand.
DailyMed (NLM): current U.S. PD-Rx lovastatin 40 mg generic label (SPL v26, published 5 Mar 2025) ↗
MARKET SCOPE
Market-record boundary
United States
Historical originator brand discontinued; current generic label comparator establishedDISCN status, label availability and an NDC record do not establish real-time stock.
Mainland China and other markets
Current regulatory records require market-by-market reviewNo local approval, brand name, supply, originator/generic relationship or lawful purchasing route is inferred from a U.S. historical brand or generic pack.
How to read this record
Read each document in its stated market, date and dosage-form context. A historical record is not a current label and does not support individual medical, substitution or purchasing conclusions.
Keep international and mainland China records separate
This page has a U.S. public history/regulatory archive but no mainland China record for this specific product. That does not establish whether the medicine exists, is approved or is available in mainland China. Verify product identity, dosage form, strength, holder and the current label item by item.
RECORD FAQ
Record questions
Is originator-brand MEVACOR currently available?
This page cannot establish that. FDA currently lists the 10/20/40 mg MEVACOR rows as DISCN. The page shows a historical originator archive and one current generic-label comparator, not stock or a purchase promise.
Can lovastatin 40 mg be directly switched to 40 mg of another statin?
Not from the number alone. Statin intensity, interactions, dosage form, indication and prescribing goal differ. Do not self-substitute, rotate or combine; ask the prescribing team or pharmacist to review.
Can lovastatin be continued while taking clarithromycin?
This is an important interaction scenario requiring prompt professional review. The site will not decide whether an individual should continue, pause, reduce or separate timing. Contact the team prescribing either medicine or a pharmacist with all packs and the complete list. Seek prompt care for severe muscle symptoms or dark urine.
READ NEXT
Related reading
Evidence status
The listed links are public sources selected for traceability. They must be rechecked against the current target-market record before any use beyond reading and research.