Bezafibrate

Bezafibrate (Bezalip® and various other brand names) is a fibrate drug used for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia. It helps to lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood, and increase HDL.

History

Bezafibrate was first introduced by Boehringer-Ingelheim in 1977.

Mode of action

Like the other fibrates, bezafibrate is an agonist of PPARα; some studies suggest it may have some activity on PPARγ and PPARδ as well.

Uses

Bezafibrate improves markers of combined hyperlipidemia, effectively reducing LDL and triglycerides and improving HDL levels. The main effect on cardiovascular morbidity is in patients with the metabolic syndrome, the features of which are attenuated by bezafibrate. Studies show that in patients with impaired glucose tolerance, bezafibrate may delay progress to diabetes, and in those with insulin resistance it slowed progress in the HOMA severity marker.

Side-effects

The main toxicity is hepatic (abnormal liver enzymes), and myopathy and rarely rhabdomyolysis have been reported.

Other uses

The Australian biotech company Giaconda combines bezafibrate with chenodeoxycholic acid in an anti-hepatitis C drug combination called Hepaconda.

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