Fibrates: first-line treatment not recommended
Healthcare professionals should not prescribe them to newly diagnosed patients as first-line treatment, except for those with severe hypertriglyceridaemia or those who cannot take statins.
Article date: December 2010
Post-publication note
This advice was first published in December 2010. The article was reviewed in February 2019 and remains an accurate reflection of the current regulatory position. During review, non-functioning links to other websites were replaced or removed. All healthcare professionals should consult the Summary of Product Characteristics for the latest safety information about medicines.
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has concluded that the benefits of the 4 fibrates—bezafibrate, ciprofibrate, fenofibrate, and gemfibrozil—continue to outweigh the risks in the treatment of patients with blood-lipid disorders. However, healthcare professionals should not prescribe them to newly diagnosed patients as first-line treatment, except for those with severe hypertriglyceridaemia or those who cannot take statins.
Further information
Prescribing advice for fibrates can be found in the November 2007 issue of Drug Safety Update
European Medicines Agency press release
Article citation: Drug Safety Update Dec 2010 vol 4 issue 5: S1.