An oral cocktail study on potential drug interactions of a proprietary nutraceutical combination containing berberine and monacolin in healthy volunteers

Objectives: It is estimated that more than 50% of patients with chronic diseases use dietary supplements and take them concomitantly with other medications. Despite this widespread use, data on nutraceutical-drug interactions are scarce and the underlying mechanisms for these interactions are not sufficiently investigated thus creating a public health concern. The patented proprietary combination of nutraceuticals ArmoLIPID PLUS® (AP), containing monacolin (3 mg) and berberine (500 mg) as main components, is well described for its lipid-lowering properties. No data on the potential for AP to generate drug interactions are available. This study investigated the potential for AP to generate clinically relevant cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition drug interactions in humans.