Reported Reactions

Drugs › HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor

Brand name · Pitavastatin calcium

Livalo: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,799 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.

1,799
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 83 a year
30
reports, 12 months to June 2026
100 in the 12 months before
46.9%
marked serious by the reporter
74% across the class
3.8%
record death among outcomes, as reported
69 reports · not verified by FDA

1,799 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Livalo (pitavastatin calcium) as a suspect or interacting product, from November 2004 to June 2026. A further 5,133 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 30 reports listed it, down 70% from 100 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 83 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.9% of the reports for the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are myalgia (17.5%), muscle spasms (7.6%) and pain in extremity (6.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 276 different terms appear across these reports. Myalgia is recorded in 17.5% of these reports, a larger share than in the median HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor drug (13.7%).

46.9% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (74% across the class); 3.8% record death among the outcomes and 21.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 41.3% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (20.5%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

04385Jul 2021: 1Aug 2021: 1Sep 2021: 44Oct 2021: 4Nov 2021: 1Dec 2021: 12022Jan 2022: 2Feb 2022: 3Mar 2022: 1Apr 2022: 0May 2022: 4Jun 2022: 1Jul 2022: 3Aug 2022: 0Sep 2022: 29Oct 2022: 2Nov 2022: 5Dec 2022: 12023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 3Mar 2023: 3Apr 2023: 2May 2023: 3Jun 2023: 3Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 23Sep 2023: 3Oct 2023: 1Nov 2023: 2Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 4Feb 2024: 2Mar 2024: 4Apr 2024: 1May 2024: 2Jun 2024: 2Jul 2024: 1Aug 2024: 85Sep 2024: 2Oct 2024: 4Nov 2024: 2Dec 2024: 12025Jan 2025: 1Feb 2025: 2Mar 2025: 1Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 1Jul 2025: 2Aug 2025: 7Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 0Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 52026Jan 2026: 1Feb 2026: 1Mar 2026: 6Apr 2026: 2May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 3

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

01012012004: 120042005: 82006: 72007: 720072008: 82009: 112010: 7320102011: 1222012: 1102013: 6320132014: 2012015: 1652016: 18920162017: 1712018: 1342019: 14520192020: 772021: 662022: 5120222023: 452024: 1102025: 2220252026: 13

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Livalo reports recording the termmedian drug in hmg-coa reductase inhibitor

  1. Myalgiamuscle pain17.5%314
  2. Muscle spasmsmuscle cramps7.6%136
  3. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg6.9%125
  4. Arthralgiajoint pain6.1%110
  5. Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way4.6%83
  6. Back painback pain4.6%82
  7. Headachehead pain4.1%73
  8. Painpain, site not specified3.7%67
  9. Rhabdomyolysismuscle breakdown3.7%67
  10. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness3.5%63
  11. Fatiguetiredness3.4%62
  12. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy3.3%59
  13. Muscular weaknessmuscle weakness3.3%59
  14. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3%54
  15. Rashskin rash2.8%50
  16. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label2.6%47
  17. Constipationconstipation2.6%46
  18. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell2.5%45
  19. Nauseafeeling sick2.4%44
  20. Gait disturbancedifficulty walking2.4%43
  21. Insomniadifficulty sleeping2.3%42
  22. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine2%36
  23. Pruritusitching2%36
  24. Dyspnoeashortness of breath1.9%34
  25. Aspartate aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (AST)1.8%32
  26. Inappropriate schedule of product administrationthe product was taken at the wrong times1.7%31
  27. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain1.6%29
  28. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right1.6%29
  29. Alanine aminotransferase increasedraised liver enzyme (ALT)1.5%27

Top 30 of 276 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 13 drugs in the hmg-coa reductase inhibitor class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death3.8%69
Life-threatening2.1%37
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)21.2%381
Disability2.5%45
Congenital anomaly0.1%1
Other serious24.5%441
Not serious53.1%955

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 204,462 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 20.1%1
2 to 110.1%2
12 to 170%0
18 to 442.3%41
45 to 6420.5%369
65 to 7417%305
75 and over13%234
Age not given47.1%847

Patient sex

Female37.4%672
Male29.1%524
Not given33.5%603

Who reported

Physician31.6%569
Pharmacist5.7%103
Other health professional15.5%278
Lawyer0.3%5
Consumer or non-health professional41.3%743
Not given5.6%101

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 70.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Blood cholesterol increased28615.9%
Hyperlipidaemia1799.9%
Blood cholesterol1709.4%
Hypercholesterolaemia1196.6%
Dyslipidaemia925.1%
Low density lipoprotein increased170.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,799 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Livalo reports
Aspirin1246.9%
Plavix854.7%
Zetia834.6%
Lisinopril703.9%
Amlodipine693.8%
Synthroid522.9%
Lipitor512.8%
Metoprolol502.8%
Levothyroxine472.6%
Metformin422.3%

Other products listed in reports where Livalo is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureLivaloHMG-CoA reductase inhibitorAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,799204,46220,646,523
Share of that pool—0.9%0%
Reports, latest 12 months30—1,332,454
Marked serious46.9%74%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports386591
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports212246213
Consumer-filed share41.3%35.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsMyalgia 17.5%median 13.7%0.8%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the hmg-coa reductase inhibitor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Lipitorbrand55,17235671.8%
Crestorbrand44,25968157.6%
Simvastatingeneric35,5011,03288.7%
Rosuvastatingeneric20,1832,91688.3%
Atorvastatin calciumgeneric20,12059569%
Zocorbrand10,34810875%
Rosuvastatin calciumgeneric7,92390691.3%
Pravastatin sodiumgeneric3,76715677.6%
Lovastatingeneric1,9723066.5%
Fluvastatingeneric1,4216179.6%
Fluvastatin sodiumgeneric1,2662489.9%
Pitavastatingeneric7318394.7%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Livalo reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Livalo?

1,799 reports list Livalo as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 30 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 5,133 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Livalo reports?

myalgia (17.5%), muscle spasms (7.6%), pain in extremity (6.9%), arthralgia (6.1%) and wrong technique in product usage process (4.6%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Livalo was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

46.9% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 3.8% of reports include death and 21.2% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (41.3%), physician (31.6%) and other health professional (15.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Livalo rising?

30 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 70% from 100 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Livalo was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Livalo?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Livalo as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (5,133) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.