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Voriconazole-Induced Hepatitis via Simvastatin- and Lansoprazole-Mediated Drug Interactions: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

José L. López, J. Tayek

Drug Metabolism And Disposition, 2016

13 citations

Abstract

Therapeutic voriconazole concentrations have a narrow window of effectiveness before causing cholestatic hepatitis. After undergoing 1 year of voriconazole therapy for pulmonary aspergillosis, a 44-year-old man began treatment with 30 mg lansoprazole for gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Within 5 days of starting treatment with lansoprazole, the patient presented with fatigue, jaundice, and cholestatic hepatitis. The hepatitis promptly resolved after stopping lansoprazole treatment. Sixteen months later, the patient was given simvastatin therapy, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association to prevent cardiovascular disease for patients with diabetes who are aged >40 years and have one additional risk factor. Within 2 weeks of taking simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (statin) therapy, the patient redeveloped fatigue, jaundice, and cholestatic hepatitis. He described both episodes of fatigue and jaundice similarly in terms of onset and intensity. Voriconazole is metabolized by both CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 isoenzymes. Lansoprazole is an inhibitor of the CYP2C19 isoenzyme. Competition between voriconazole and lansoprazole likely led to increased voriconazole serum concentration and acute cholestatic hepatitis in this patient. Simvastatin inhibits the CYP3A4 isoenzyme. After the patient took 10 mg simvastatin daily for 2 weeks, cholestatic hepatitis occurred. The voriconazole concentration remained elevated (4.1 μg/ml) when measured 15 days after stopping…

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