| Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
Welchol vs Lipitor
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous.Deep comparison between: Welchol vs Lipitor with Prescriber.AI
AI compares prescribing info and payer-specific access barriers across 1,200+ formularies. Here's a preview of what prescribers are already asking.Safety signalsLipitor has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Welchol based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Lipitor but not Welchol, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Welchol
Lipitor
At A Glance
Oral
Daily
Bile acid sequestrant
Oral
Daily
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin)
Indications
- Familial hyperlipidemia
- Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
- Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent
- Myocardial Infarction
- Cerebrovascular accident
- Stable angina
- Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent
- Congestive heart failure
- Hyperlipidemia
- Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
- Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III
- Hypertriglyceridemia
Dosing
Familial hyperlipidemia, Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous 3.75 grams daily; 6 tablets once daily or 3 tablets twice daily with a meal and liquid, or one packet oral suspension once daily with a meal.
Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent 3.75 grams daily; 6 tablets once daily or 3 tablets twice daily with a meal and liquid, or one packet oral suspension once daily with a meal.
Myocardial Infarction, Cerebrovascular accident, Stable angina, Diabetes Mellitus Non-Insulin-Dependent, Congestive heart failure, Hyperlipidemia, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III, Hypertriglyceridemia 10 or 20 mg once daily starting; range 10-80 mg once daily; patients requiring LDL-C reduction >45% may start at 40 mg once daily; oral.
Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous Adults: 10 or 20 mg once daily, range 10-80 mg once daily; pediatric patients aged >=10 years: 10 mg once daily starting, range 10-20 mg once daily; oral.
Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia Adults: 10 or 20 mg once daily, range 10-80 mg once daily; pediatric patients aged >=10 years: 10-20 mg once daily starting, range 10-80 mg once daily; oral.
Contraindications
- Serum TG concentrations >500 mg/dL
- History of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis
- History of bowel obstruction
- Acute liver failure or decompensated cirrhosis
- Hypersensitivity to atorvastatin or any excipient in Lipitor
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=2%) Constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, asthenia, pharyngitis, myalgia (primary hyperlipidemia); constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, hypertension, back pain (type 2 diabetes)
Serious Hypertriglyceridemia, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal obstruction, vitamin K and fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies
Postmarketing Bowel obstruction, dysphagia, esophageal obstruction, fecal impaction, pancreatitis, hypertriglyceridemia, increased transaminases
Most common (>=2%) Nasopharyngitis, arthralgia, diarrhea, pain in extremity, urinary tract infection, dyspepsia, nausea, musculoskeletal pain, muscle spasms, myalgia, insomnia, pharyngolaryngeal pain
Serious Myopathy and rhabdomyolysis, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, hepatic dysfunction, increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose
Postmarketing Pancreatitis, fatigue, fatal and non-fatal hepatic failure, anaphylaxis, tendon rupture, rhabdomyolysis, myositis, dizziness, peripheral neuropathy, cognitive impairment, myasthenia gravis exacerbation, depression, interstitial lung disease, angioneurotic edema, bullous rashes
Pharmacology
Colesevelam hydrochloride is a non-absorbed bile acid sequestrant that binds bile acids in the intestine, depletes the bile acid pool, upregulates hepatic cholesterol 7-alpha-hydroxylase, increases LDL receptor expression, and thereby lowers serum LDL-C; the mechanism by which it improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes is unknown.
Lipitor is a selective, competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme that converts 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, a precursor of cholesterol; it lowers plasma LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein levels by inhibiting hepatic cholesterol synthesis and upregulating LDL receptor expression on hepatic cell surfaces.
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Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Welchol
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (0/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
Lipitor
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (5/12) · Qty limit (1/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Welchol
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Lipitor
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Humana
Welchol
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (1/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Lipitor
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (1/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Welchol.
No savings programs available for Lipitor.
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WelcholView full Welchol profile
LipitorView full Lipitor profile
Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.