What is Icosapent Acid, EPA and EPAee?

Icosapent Acid, also known as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is one type of omega-3 fatty acids, and when EPA is reacted with ethanol, for example, it becomes EPA ethyl ester, or EPAee. 

Icosapent Ethyl: A Promising New Therapy for Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide. While cholesterol-lowering statins have helped reduce risk, many patients still experience cardiovascular events despite well-controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Icosapent ethyl (Vascepa) is an investigational therapy that shows promise for further reducing cardiovascular risk beyond statins alone.

Icosapent ethyl is a highly purified prescription form of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil. It was first approved to reduce high triglyceride levels in 2012, but ongoing clinical trials are evaluating its effects on cardiovascular outcomes.

Evidence suggests icosapent ethyl may benefit cardiovascular health through multiple mechanisms. In addition to lowering triglycerides, it reduces other atherogenic lipids and inflammation markers. Importantly, unlike some other omega-3 products containing both EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), icosapent ethyl does not raise LDL-C.

Two key clinical trials demonstrated significant reductions in triglycerides with icosapent ethyl 4 grams/day, without increases in LDL-C. The MARINE trial enrolled patients with very high triglycerides (≥500 mg/dL), and the ANCHOR trial enrolled high-risk statin-treated patients with triglycerides ≥200 mg/dL.

The large, ongoing REDUCE-IT trial is assessing icosapent ethyl’s effects on cardiovascular outcomes in statin-treated patients with elevated triglyceride levels. Results are expected to provide important evidence regarding icosapent ethyl’s cardiovascular benefits beyond triglyceride lowering.

With its favorable lipid effects and acceptable safety profile, icosapent ethyl represents an exciting potential new therapy. If proven to reduce cardiovascular events, it could fill an important unmet need for patients with residual risk despite well-controlled LDL-C.

REFERENCE

The starting materials, fish oil, are sourced from Peru.

We offer EPAee at various purities, allowing you to choose specifications based on your specific requirements. Our stringent purity control measures for DHAee, a key impurity, ensure its suitability for pharmaceutical preparations.

Although our recommended purity is 70%, we also offer EPAee at purity levels of 80%, 90%, and 98%.