Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: an emphasis on omega-3-acid ethyl esters 90 for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia

A number of epidemiological/observational studies, as well as large-scale randomized intervention studies, have been conducted to provide evidence for the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids against atherosclerotic diseases. Currently, omega-3 fatty acids are commercially available in many parts of the world containing the same active ingredients as Lotriga (R) (omega-3-acid ethyl esters 90 [O3AE highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters, consisting of eicosapentaenoic acid-ethyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid-ethyl ester [EPA-E/DHA-E]). A recent head-to-head comparative study of O3AEE90 versus EPA-E demonstrated that O3AEE90 4g/day led to a significantly greater reduction in triglycerides (TG) than EPA-E 1.8g/day and that O3AEE90 2g/day produced comparable effects on TG to those with EPA-E 1.8g/day. While both agents were shown to be useful in lowering TG, the hallmark feature of O3AEE90, that is, the presence of the DHA-E component versus its absence in EPA-E, needs to be further examined for its clinical implications.