Lipid lowering treatment with bezafibrate in patients on chronic haemodialysis: Pharmacokinetics and effects

Summary Hyperlipidaemia may contribute to the high rate of cardiovascular complications in patients on chronic haemodialysis (CHD). However, possibilities of lipid lowering therapy in CHD are still limited. The applicability of bezafibrate (BF), a recently developed clofibrate analogue, was investigated in patients on CHD with triglyceride and/or total cholesterol levels above 300 mg/dl.The lipid lowering effect was studied in a placebo-controlled trial over 6 months in 19 patients. Long-term effect was followed in six patients over a mean period of 29 months.Elimination half-life and mean therapeutic serum concentration were calculated by 72-h BF serum profiles, obtained after the first drug administration of a single 200-mg dose and during steady state after 12 weeks of treatment. Elimination half-lives were 17 h at start and 22 h after 12 weeks compared with 2 h in subjects with normal renal function. Dose reduction to 200 mg every 3rd day was necessary and resulted in a mean therapeutic serum concentration of 3.4 mg/l, which was similar to 3.0 mg/l of normal subjects, who received the dose optimal for lowering of lipids (200 mg 3 × /day). The protein-bound serum fraction of BF was decreased to 8% in CHD patients, compared with 95% found in normal subjects.BF therapy resulted in a marked reduction of serum triglycerides from 478 mg/dl by 31% and total cholesterol levels from 311 mg/dl by 19% as well as -Lp-cholesterol from 178 mg/dl by 17%, whereas the initially low -Lp-cholesterol increased significantly from 18,3 mg/dl by 58%. Under long-term therapy not only continuously low triglyceride and cholesterol levels could be maintained, moreover a further decline (–20% and –7%) could be achieved.Safety laboratory controls, comprising haemoglobin, bilirubin, liver enzymes, CK and albumin, showed no significant changes apart from a slight reversible increase in CK and a decrease in gamma-GT and alkaline phosphatase. Subjective side effects were not reported. Under this dosage schedule, BF therapy was thus effective and safe, improving potentially atherogenic disturbances of lipid metabolism.Abbreviations BF bezafibrate - CHD chronic haemodialysis - HDL high density lipoproteins - IDL intermediate density lipoproteins - LDL low density lipoproteins - VLDL very low density lipoproteins