Is rosuvastatin the same as rosuvastatin calcium?

Rosuvastatin and Rosuvastatin Calcium: Same Medication in Different Forms

Yes, rosuvastatin and rosuvastatin calcium are the same medication - rosuvastatin calcium is simply the salt form of rosuvastatin that is used in pharmaceutical formulations. 1

Chemical Composition and Formulation

• Rosuvastatin is prescribed and referred to in clinical practice as "rosuvastatin," but the actual chemical compound in the tablets is rosuvastatin calcium 1
• According to the FDA drug label, rosuvastatin tablets contain rosuvastatin in specific doses (5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg), which are equivalent to 5.2 mg, 10.4 mg, 20.8 mg, and 41.6 mg of rosuvastatin calcium, respectively 1
• Rosuvastatin calcium is the chemical salt form with the empirical formula (C₂₂H₂₇FN₃O₆S)₂Ca and a molecular weight of 1001.14 1

Clinical Implications

• When prescribing guidelines refer to "rosuvastatin" (such as in the AHA/ACC cholesterol management guidelines), they are referring to the medication that is formulated as rosuvastatin calcium 2
• The dosing and clinical effects are the same whether the medication is called rosuvastatin or rosuvastatin calcium 2
• High-intensity statin therapy with rosuvastatin 20-40 mg provides ≥50% LDL-C lowering, while moderate-intensity therapy with rosuvastatin 5-10 mg provides 30-49% LDL-C lowering 2

Pharmacological Properties

• Rosuvastatin is a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor that works by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the liver 1
• It is a hydrophilic compound with a partition coefficient (octanol/water) of 1.4 at pH of 7.0 1
• Rosuvastatin has a longer terminal half-life (approximately 19 hours) compared to other statins and is minimally metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system 1, 3
• The maximum LDL-C reduction with rosuvastatin is usually achieved by 4 weeks of treatment 1

Common Pitfalls and Clarifications

• When reading medical literature or prescribing information, it's important to understand that the terms "rosuvastatin" and "rosuvastatin calcium" refer to the same medication, just using different naming conventions 1
• The active ingredient in all rosuvastatin tablets is rosuvastatin calcium, regardless of how it may be labeled on prescription bottles or in medical literature 1
• When comparing efficacy across studies, focus on the actual dosage (5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg) rather than whether it's called rosuvastatin or rosuvastatin calcium 4, 5
• Patients should not be concerned if their prescription label changes from "rosuvastatin" to "rosuvastatin calcium" or vice versa, as they are receiving the same medication 1

In summary, there is no clinical difference between rosuvastatin and rosuvastatin calcium - they are the same medication, with rosuvastatin calcium being the specific salt form used in the pharmaceutical formulation of the drug.