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Icosapent Ethyl

  • Prescription medicine
  • Prescription only
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Icosapent Ethyl does in the body

Icosapent ethyl is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride (TG) levels in adult patients with severe (≥500 mg/dL) hypertriglyceridemia.

From the FDA-approved label: Studies suggest that EPA reduces hepatic very low-density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) synthesis and/or secretion and enhances TG clearance from circulating VLDL particles. Potential mechanisms of action include increased β-oxidation; inhibition of acyl-CoA:1,2-diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT); decreased lipogenesis in the liver; and increased plasma lipoprotein lipase activity. The mechanisms of action contributing to reduction of cardiovascular events with VASCEPA (icosapent ethyl) are not completely understood but are likely multi-factorial.

Why people take it. Icosapent ethyl is indicated: • as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride (TG) levels in adult patients with severe (≥500 mg/dL) hypertriglyceridemia.

What happened in people

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

A fixed RNAWiki sentence

Where this came from

Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.

No reviewed claim names a result for any goal on this record.

No source is stored against this line.

The limit that matters most

Not recorded.

Where it acts
Not recorded.
Kind of result
No result is published, so no kind of result applies yet
Supervision
RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · 6GC8A4PAYH · read 2026-08-29

Where each sentence above came from

The use the label states, quoted from it. No plain-language version of this sentence has been written.

The use the label states, quoted from it. It is written for a clinician, not for a reader without medical training.

No statement of the main limit is recorded.

The four opening statements run to 131 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Biomarker

A biomarker is a number from a test that stands in for something about health.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A biomarker is like a fuel gauge.

Where that stops being true. A gauge is wired to the tank. Many biomarkers are only loosely tied to health.

What people get wrong. A better number is read as a better life. Several medicines improved a number and helped nobody.

A measurable indicator used as a substitute for a clinical outcome of interest.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What was measured, goal by goal

One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.

Registered studies list 9 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.

There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.

Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
GoalLife outcomeWhat a body can doHow a person feelsA test resultA step in the bodyHarmsHow longWho was studied
EnergyNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer1 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
CholesterolNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Energy
cancer related fatigue
Cholesterol
plasma triglycerides

Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.

What each mark on this table means
Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
Waiting for a reviewer
1 registered symptom measure.
Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
Only a number moved
1 registered test measure.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Rate of confirmed viral URIs

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT04505098
How many people
39600
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Major coronary events (sudden cardiac death, fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris including hospitalization for ischemic episodes,events of angioplasty/ stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting)

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00231738
How many people
18000
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
Living longer, or avoiding a major event
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Composite of the First Occurrence of Cardiovascular (CV) Death, Nonfatal Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Nonfatal Stroke

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00069784
How many people
12537
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
Living longer, or avoiding a major event
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Composite of CV Death, Nonfatal MI (Including Silent MI), Nonfatal Stroke, Coronary Revascularization, or Unstable Angina Determined to be Caused by Myocardial Ischemia by Invasive / Non-invasive Testing and Requiring Emergent Hospitalization.

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT01492361
How many people
8179
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
Living longer, or avoiding a major event
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

(A) Prevention Arm: SARS-CoV-2 positivity assesed up to day 60.

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT04460651
How many people
4093
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Difference Between AMR101 (Ethyl Icosapentate) and Placebo Treatment Groups in Triglyceride Lowering Effect

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT01047501
How many people
702
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
What we know
RNAWiki holds 6 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event Evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.1 registered measure of this kind. 3 written-up studies measured this and did not show a benefit.
  2. What a body can do day to day No evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.No registered study measures this.
  3. Measured performance No evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.No registered study measures this.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life Evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.1 registered measure of this kind.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.1 registered measure of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
  7. Animals No evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.No animal record is stored.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

  • cancer related fatigue

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • plasma triglycerides

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • progression free survival

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (6)
  • adverse events
  • plaque quantification
  • quantification of stenosis
  • quantification of pericoronary fat attenuation
  • quantification of epicardial fat attenuation
  • aortic valve calcium

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How long anything takes

Nine different lengths of time that get confused with each other. None of them is worked out from another.

  1. Before anything is noticed. RNAWiki does not store this separately, and never works it out from another figure on this page.

  2. Before a test result moves. RNAWiki does not store this separately, and never works it out from another figure on this page.

  3. Before performance moves. RNAWiki does not store this separately, and never works it out from another figure on this page.

  4. How long the result was watched. No finished study window is recorded for a study that tested this substance.

  5. How long people took it. How long people actually took it is not stored. The study window is not the same thing.

  6. How long people were followed. Follow-up length is not stored separately. It is never read off the study window, which would be a different thing.

  7. How fast the body clears it. 89 hours hours

    Read from the label, which states: “The plasma elimination half-life (t 1/2 ) of EPA is approximately 89 hours.”

  8. How long effects linger. RNAWiki does not store this separately, and never works it out from another figure on this page.

  9. Beyond the studies. Nothing is recorded about the long term.

    The longest finished study sets the edge of what anyone measured.

A study window is not how long people took it, and neither is how long they were followed. Where RNAWiki holds only one of the three, it shows one.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • VASCEPA ® (icosapent ethyl) is indicated: as an adjunct to maximally tolerated statin therapy to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization in adult patients with elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (≥ 150 mg/dL) and established cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus and 2 or more additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What the label states about particular groups

  • On pediatric, the label states: “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.”

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

  • On older people, the label states: “Of the total number of patients in well-controlled clinical studies of icosapent ethyl, 45% were 65 years of age and over.”

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Risk Summary The available data from published case reports and the pharmacovigilance database on the use of icosapent ethyl in pregnant women are insufficient to identify a drug-associated risk for major birth defects, miscarriage or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.”

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “Risk Summary Published studies have detected omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA, in human milk.”

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people with reduced liver function, the label states: “In patients with hepatic impairment, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels should be monitored periodically during therapy with icosapent ethyl.”

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

Where the result stopped carrying

  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (10)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Prescription only

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

No register row and no identity class settled the question.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as capsule, capsule, liquid filled, given by the oral route.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeNothing found in the sources checked

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Nothing found in the sources checked

No harm is recorded against this substance in the sources RNAWiki checked. Finding nothing is not the same as showing there is nothing.

The sources listed were searched and held nothing. That is not the same as nothing existing.

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Icosapent Ethyl appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 443 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • blood triglycerides increased — 116 reaction mentions
  • product odour abnormal — 75 reaction mentions
  • diarrhoea — 56 reaction mentions
  • arthralgia — 42 reaction mentions
  • myalgia — 34 reaction mentions
  • abdominal discomfort — 33 reaction mentions
  • eructation — 30 reaction mentions
  • atrial fibrillation — 22 reaction mentions
  • myocardial infarction — 20 reaction mentions
  • gout — 15 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

Nothing further is recorded about which forms are sold.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 68 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 68 of them contain it and nothing else.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 10888-8215 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as capsule, capsule, liquid filled, liquid and oil, taken oral.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 10888-8215 · read 2026-08-29

  • 28 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 28 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human prescription drug.

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-29

  • 1148 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as mineral, non-nutrient/non-botanical and other combinations.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 1588 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels carry all other, nutrient and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 1588 · read 2026-08-29

  • Icosapent Ethyl is oral at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS Icosapent Ethyl Capsules are supplied as: • 0.5 gram, clear, oval capsule with product identification “109” on one side • 1 gram, clear, oblong capsule with product identification “54 648” o…, recorded as fda label in effect 2026-08-25 in the United States.

    US prescribing information · 07631e74-48e5-46ec-b8db-4b1bcf62d283 · read 2026-08-30

  • Recorded price in US: 0.3261–0.44138 USD per one unit as the pricing file counts it — a tablet, capsule, patch or single item, across 18 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.

RNAWiki could not confidently classify this substance, so no self-experiment plan is offered.

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the trials of Icosapent Ethyl studied people like me?
  • What was measured, and for how long?
  • Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
  • What would we watch for, and when would we stop?

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Formulation uncertainty

Several salts, forms or products of Icosapent Ethyl are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

How many documents were read

  • 28 documents were read for this substance.

    RNAWiki source record

  • 28 of them state the same halfLife, and they agree.

    RNAWiki source record

  • 28 of them state the same tMax, and they agree.

    RNAWiki source record

  • 28 of them state the same volumeOfDistribution, and they agree.

    RNAWiki source record

Where else this substance is registered

FDA substance identifier (UNII)
6GC8A4PAYH

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    Canonical metadata present

    slug and display name present

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • 13 approved applications cover products containing this substance. The earliest was NDA202057, approved 20120726 to AMARIN PHARMS.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA202057 · read 2026-08-29

  • Marketing status on the register: prescription.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA202057 · read 2026-08-29

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 20110919.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 10888-8215 · read 2026-08-29

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What to learn next

Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.

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What is not here

5 questions this page could not answer

These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.

  • The path through the body — found nothing in the sources checked.
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The record as stored

The full record, for auditing

Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.

Recorded evidence blocks (14)

What did Icosapent Ethyl's largest trial (39600 people) and its longest (8 years) measure?


39600 people in Icosapent Ethyl's largest registered study, 8 years in its longest registered window, measuring Percentage change from baseline in average fasting serum triglyceride concentration at Week 26. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

10 phase3, 8 phase2, 5 phase4, 4 phase1, 1 na, 1 na or unstated; NCT03428477; 2026-04-30; no ageing endpoint recorded. Last human test completed 2024, NCT04152291.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Icosapent Ethyl was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • phase3
    10
  • phase2
    8
  • phase4
    5
  • phase1
    4
  • na
    1
  • na or unstated
    1
1 more recorded row
  • Last recorded human test NCT04152291
    2024-12-31

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Icosapent Ethyl was tested only in human — what did it show?


human: biomarker (26): the rungs where Icosapent Ethyl has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Percentage change from baseline in average fasting serum triglyceride concentration at Week 26 — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse Rat Dog Non-human primate Human biomarker
Show the evidence
  • human NCT07680829
    biomarker; Percentage change from baseline in average fasting serum triglyceride concentration at Week 26; 26

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

6 of Icosapent Ethyl's trials stopped: accrual/recruitment, other?


accrual/recruitment (4) and other (2): Icosapent Ethyl's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Difficulty enrolling patients with elevated triglycerides under statin treatment"; 6 of 26 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT02422446
    terminated; "Difficulty enrolling patients with elevated triglycerides under statin treatment"
  • NCT02940223
    terminated; "PI is requesting termination (closure) of this study."
  • NCT03661047
    withdrawn; "Study will be closed due to zero enrollment in over 2 years."
  • NCT04505098
    terminated; "The study was suspended by the IRB of record and subsequently terminated"
  • NCT05198843
    terminated; "Other - Poor accrual"
  • NCT06280976
    withdrawn; "study withdrawn, no participants enrolled, changes in the study design planned"

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Human studies of Icosapent Ethyl used AMR101 (ethyl icosapentate) - 4 g/day — over how long?


Human studies of Icosapent Ethyl used "AMR101 (ethyl icosapentate) - 4 g/day". ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

5 recorded entries; human; oral; also "AMR101 (ethyl icosapentate) - 2 g/day", "Multiple (20) oral doses of 2 g Vascepa® every 12 hours", "Icosapent Ethyl 1000 MG [Vascepa]"

Show the evidence

human

  • NCT01047501
    AMR101 (ethyl icosapentate) - 4 g/day
  • NCT01047501
    AMR101 (ethyl icosapentate) - 2 g/day
  • NCT02859129
    oral; Multiple (20) oral doses of 2 g Vascepa® every 12 hours
  • NCT03885661
    Icosapent Ethyl 1000 MG [Vascepa]
  • NCT04562467
    Icosapent Ethyl 1000 MG Oral Capsule [Vascepa]

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Icosapent Ethyl's half-life is 89 hours — which schedules were studied?


89 hours, the half-life Icosapent Ethyl's label states. openfda-label · 0ee78f22-bed2-48f8-9be8-b8f6ceeeaeaf · 2026-08-30

Show the evidence
  • half life
    89 hours hours; The plasma elimination half-life (t 1/2 ) of EPA is approximately 89 hours.

recorded 2026-08-30 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Icosapent Ethyl's effect on cancer related fatigue?


Cancer related fatigue: measured in Icosapent Ethyl's trials.

Interpretation cancer related fatigue is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • cancer related fatigue; 2026-09-01
  • progression free survival; 2026-09-01
  • plasma triglycerides; 2026-09-01
  • adverse events; 2026-09-01
  • plaque quantification; 2026-09-01
  • quantification of stenosis; 2026-09-01
3 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    quantification of pericoronary fat attenuation; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    quantification of epicardial fat attenuation; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    aortic valve calcium; 2026-09-01
  • half life
    2026-09-04; halfLife; hours; 89 hours; 2026-08-30
  • human trials at or under30
    6
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT03661047; PHASE2; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of adverse events, aortic valve calcium and cancer related fatigue did Icosapent Ethyl's trials measure?


adverse events, aortic valve calcium and cancer related fatigue lead 9 outcome terms across Icosapent Ethyl's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Interpretation adverse events, plaque quantification, quantification of stenosis, quantification of pericoronary fat attenuation, quantification of epicardial fat attenuation and aortic valve calcium follow.

Show the evidence
  • cancer related fatigue
    1
  • progression free survival
    1
  • plasma triglycerides
    1
  • adverse events
    1
  • plaque quantification
    1
  • quantification of stenosis
    1
3 more recorded rows
  • quantification of pericoronary fat attenuation
    1
  • quantification of epicardial fat attenuation
    1
  • aortic valve calcium
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Icosapent Ethyl's 4 ongoing trials reports first?


4 registered trials of Icosapent Ethyl are open; earliest completion 2026-04-30. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Progression Free Survival (PFS); Change in aortic valve calcium (AVC) score; latest 2030-10

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT03428477
    "EPA for Metastasis Trial 2"; n 418; "Progression Free Survival (PFS)"; 2026-04-30
  • NCT06466278
    "IcoSApent ethyL to Slow Down Aortic VAlve Stenosis proGrEssion"; n 110; "Change in aortic valve calcium (AVC) score"; 2026-12-01
  • NCT07680829
    "A Phase 3 Trial of DR10624 Versus Placebo in Patients With Severe Hypertriglyceridemia"; n 378; "Percentage change from baseline in average fasting serum triglyceride concentration at Week 26"; 2030-10
  • NCT07762755
    "Icosapent Ethyl for High-Risk Coronary Plaques Assessed by 18F-NaF PET/CT"; n 100; "Absolute Change From Baseline in Maximum Target-to-Background Ratio of the Target Coronary Lesion"; 2029-12-31

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which running trial of Icosapent Ethyl could settle lifespan?


NCT03428477 measures Progression Free Survival (PFS), reading out 2026-04-30.

1 open trial; n 418; "EPA for Metastasis Trial 2"

Show the evidence
  • Trial NCT03428477
    "EPA for Metastasis Trial 2"; n 418; "Progression Free Survival (PFS)"; 2026-04-30

Which 7 trials of Icosapent Ethyl posted no result?


Posted no result
7 of 7 completed trials
Registrations
NCT02859129, NCT03693131, NCT04412018, NCT04221217, NCT04460651 and NCT04562467, and 1 more
Completion dates
oldest 2013-11; newest 2024-07-31
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT02859129
    2013-11
  • NCT03693131
    2019-06-29
  • NCT04412018
    2020-12-12
  • NCT04221217
    2021-07-14
  • NCT04460651
    2021-08-30
  • NCT04562467
    2023-05-25
  • 1 further recorded trial NCT04682665
    2024-07-31

At the median, Icosapent Ethyl's trials enrolled 100 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
100
Largest enrolment
39600
Registered trials counted
26

What do 443 spontaneous reports say about Icosapent Ethyl — and not say?


These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Icosapent Ethyl appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 443 reaction mentions were counted: blood triglycerides increased 116; product odour abnormal 75; diarrhoea 56; arthralgia 42. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL2095209 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • blood triglycerides increased
    116
  • product odour abnormal
    75
  • diarrhoea
    56
  • arthralgia
    42
  • myalgia
    34
  • abdominal discomfort
    33
4 more recorded rows
  • eructation
    30
  • atrial fibrillation
    22
  • myocardial infarction
    20
  • gout
    15

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

Was Icosapent Ethyl studied with fasting?


fasting is named in Icosapent Ethyl's label sentences: "Randomization to treatment with 2 g twice daily of icosapent ethyl or matching placebo was performed among 8179 participants receiving statin therapy with established cardiovascular disease or age ≥50 years with diabetes and ≥1 additional risk factor, fasting triglyceride 1.69-5.63 mmol/L, and…" openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-01-16

1 recorded statement; fasting

Show the evidence
  • fasting
    Randomization to treatment with 2 g twice daily of icosapent ethyl or matching placebo was performed among 8179 participants receiving statin therapy with established cardiovascular disease or age ≥50 years with diabetes and ≥1 additional risk factor, fasting triglyceride 1.69-5.63 mmol/L, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol 1.06-2.59 mmol/L. Total hospitalizations were analyzed with a…

recorded 2026-01-16 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Icosapent Ethyl and sirtuin?


"Icosapent alleviated acetic acid-induced colitis via its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects mediated in part by SIRT1 pathway activation." — where Icosapent Ethyl and sirtuin appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2022-12-25

sirtuin; PMID 36574744

Show the evidence
  • sirtuin PMID 36574744
    "Icosapent alleviated acetic acid-induced colitis via its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects mediated in part by SIRT1 pathway activation."

recorded 2022-12-25 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL2095209
PubChem CID
9831415
CAS number
86227-47-6
RxCUI
1304974
InChIKey
SSQPWTVBQMWLSZ-AAQCHOMXSA-N
Development code
AMR 101, AMR101, NSC-759597
Also called
Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester, Epadel, Ethyl icosapent, Icosapent ethyl ester, Timnodonic acid ethyl ester, eicosapentaenoic acid, epa, ipe, EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID ETHYL ESTER [MART.], EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID ETHYL ESTER [MI], EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID ETHYL ESTER [USP-RS], ETHYL ALL-CIS-5,8,11,14,17-ICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID
Japanese name
Ethyl icosapentate
Trade name
Vascepa, Vazkepa, Icosapent, Vascepa / Icosapent
Salt form
ICOSAPENT ETHYL CAPSULES
Sources (9)

Sources

3 more sources
  • openfda-label 0ee78f22-bed2-48f8-9be8-b8f6ceeeaeaf ·
  • openfda-label+europepmc K1:6GC8A4PAYH ·
  • national registers US, EU, CA ·

ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

Index-quality checks
  • identity passed: no open identity hold
  • required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 9 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
  • canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
  • no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

This is a record of evidence. It is not medical advice, and it does not say this substance suits you. Nothing here says any substance on RNAWiki is appropriate for a child.