Therapeutic Research

Abstract

Background:Fibrates bind to and activate the nuclear receptor PPARα. Fenofibrate is a PPARα–specific agonist, while bezafibrate has been reported to act by binding not only to PPARα, but also to PPARγ and δ. However, few studies have comparatively evaluated the effects of the two drugs in clinical practice. Subjects and Methods:Fenofibrate was switched to bezafibrate in 61 patients(43 males and 18 females) and the safety and effect of the drug switch on lipid(LDL–C, TG, HDL–C) and glucose metabolism(HbA1c) were evaluated after 20 weeks of the switch. Results:While no significant changes of the serum LDL–C and TG levels were observed after the switch to bezafibrate, significant increase of the serum HDL–C level from 49.5±1.7 mg/dL to 52.5±2.0 mg/dL was observed at 20 weeks after the switch. Moreover, the HbA1c level significantly decreased from 5.92±0.34% to 5.72±0.33% . The switch from fenofibrate to bezafibrate posed no problems in terms of safety. Conclusion:Although the effects of the two drugs on the serum LDL–C and TG were similar, bezafibrate appeared to exert more favorable effects on the serum HDL–C and glucose metabolism.