Icosapent Ethyl
Brand names: Vascepa, Icosapent Ethyl
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 1,559,930
- Medicare drug cost
- $643.5M
- Average cost per prescription
- $413
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 29,442
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
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. as an adjunct to diet to reduce TG levels in adult patients with severe (≥ 500 mg/dL) hypertriglyceridemia. Limitations of Use: The effect of VASCEPA on the risk for pancreatitis in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia has not been determined.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated March 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Internal Medicine 33.3%
- Family Medicine 21.5%
- Nurse Practitioners 13.3%
- Cardiology 10.4%
- Physician Assistants 5.0%
- Endocrinology & Diabetes 3.4%
- Interventional Cardiology 2.9%
- General Practice 2.2%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 1.9%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.2%
- Cardiac Electrophysiology 0.7%
- Ophthalmology 0.4%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 59% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Michigan +145%
- Tennessee +135%
- Connecticut +130%
- Washington +119%
- Arizona +107%
- New Jersey (smallest change) +20%
- Hawaii (smallest change) +28%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Amarin Pharma Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | yellow oval capsule, 15 mm | V500 |
| 1000 mg | yellow oval capsule, 25 mm | VASCEPA |
| 1000 mg | yellow oval capsule, 25 mm | IPE |
Apotex Corp
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 g | white oval capsule, 25 mm | A1000 |
Bryant Ranch Prepack
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 mg | yellow oval capsule, 25 mm | VASCEPA |
Northstar Rx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 g | white oval capsule, 17 mm | 291 |
Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 g | yellow oval capsule, 25 mm | TEVA 127 |
| 500 mg | yellow oval capsule, 15 mm | TV 0126 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $203,928 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Amarin Pharma, Inc. $203,928
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
2 recalls since 2020
- Mar 2026 · Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc · Class II
Failed Tablet/Capsule specifications: Red dots inside capsule and melted capsule caused by oxidized Icosapent ethyl, the active ingredient. - May 2025 · Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc · Class II
Failed Tablet/Capsule specifications; a product complaint was reported for burnt or melted capsules. This was determined to be a result of oxidation by leakage of capsule contents.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.