DRUG INTERACTIONS
WelChol® has been studied in several human drug interaction studies in which it was administered with a meal and the test drug. WelChol® was found to have no significant effect on the bioavailability of digoxin, fenofibrate, lovastatin, metoprolol, quinidine, valproic acid, and warfarin. WelChol® decreased the Cmax and AUC of sustained-release verapamil (Calan SR® ) by approximately 31% and 11%, respectively. Since there is a high degree of variability in the bioavailability of verapamil, the clinical significance of this finding is unclear. In clinical studies, co-administration of WelChol® with atorvastatin, lovastatin, or simvastatin did not interfere with the lipid-lowering activity of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. Other drugs have not been studied. When administering other drugs for which alterations in blood levels could have a clinically significant effect on safety or efficacy, physicians should consider monitoring drug levels or effects.
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