The European Medicine Agency’s (EMA’s) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has concluded that omega-3 fatty acid medicines are not effective for secondary prevention after myocardial infarction (MI).

Omega-3 fatty acid medicines at a dose of 1 g per day have been authorized in several European Union countries since 2000 for preventing heart disease or stroke after MI and for lowering high triglycerides.

When they were authorized, the available data showed “some benefits in reducing serious problems with the heart and blood vessels, although the benefits were considered modest,” the EMA said in a news release. “Further data that have become available since then have not confirmed the beneficial effects of these medicines for this use.”

The CHMP’s conclusion, released at their December meeting, means that these medicines will no longer be authorized for such use.

Their review included results of the open-label GISSI Prevenzione study from 1999, which supported the initial authorization of these products, as well as retrospective cohort studies, more recent randomized controlled trials, and results of meta-analyses.

“The review concluded that, while a small relative risk reduction was seen in the original open label GISSI Prevenzione study, such beneficial effects were not confirmed in more recent randomized controlled trials,” the EMA said. The review found no new safety concerns.

The Committee’s decision does not affect the authorization of omega-3 fatty acid medicines for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia.

The CHMP opinion will now be forwarded to the European Commission, which will issue a final legally binding decision applicable in all EU member states.

Support for the CHMP decision comes from results of the large VITAL trial, which found little benefit from omega-3 supplements (or vitamin D supplementation) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, as reported by Medscape Medical News.

In the ASCEND trial, a 1 g dose of omega-3 fatty acids had no effect on serious vascular events (or cancer or mortality) when used for primary prevention in patients with diabetes.

However, in the REDUCE-IT trial, a high-dose purified form of the omega-3 oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), in patients with elevated triglycerides who had cardiovascular disease or diabetes and one additional risk factor did show significant benefit, with a 25% relative risk reduction in major adverse