Highly purified ethyl epa and other epa derivatives

Abstract

A pharmaceutical preparation comprising EPA in an appropriately assimilable form where of all the fatty acids present in the preparation at least 90%, and preferably at least 95%, is in the form of EPA and where less than 5%, and preferably less than 3%, is in the form of DHA is provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid, wherein the pharmaceutical composition contains less than about 5%, in aggregate, of any fatty acid that competes with eicosapentaenoic acid for binding to a biological site of action. 
     
     
         2 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition contains less than 5% of any single fatty acid that competes with eicosapentaenoic acid for binding to a biological site of action. 
     
     
         3 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition contains less than 3% of any single fatty acid that competes with eicosapentaenoic acid for binding to a biological site of action. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the relevant site of action comprises phosphlipids, an enzyme, or a membrane. 
     
     
         5 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition contains less than 5%, in aggregate, of docosahexaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and derivatives thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition contains less than 3% of each of docosahexaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and derivatives thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid is present in an amount of 250 mg to 1000 mg. 
     
     
         8 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 7 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is present in capsule, emulsion, solution, dispersion, suppository, pessary, powder microcapsule, tablet, topical patch, or intravenous solution form. 
     
     
         9 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 4 , wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of: a phospholipase, a phospholipase A 2 , PLC, coenzyme A, a fatty acid coenzyme A ligase, FACL-4, an acyl-CoA synthetase, an acyl-CoA:lysophopholipid acytransferase, an acyltransferase, caspase I, and interleukin converting enzyme (ICE).