fenofibrate + niacin

Fenofibrate + niacin is a combination drug used to treat dyslipidemia, including high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. Fenofibrate is a fibrate that activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), which increases lipolysis, activates lipoprotein lipase, reduces apoprotein C-III, and alters lipid metabolism to reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Niacin (vitamin B3) works by reducing the production of VLDL and LDL cholesterol in the liver while increasing HDL cholesterol levels. The combination has been shown to effectively increase HDL-C, decrease non-HDL-C, and reduce hypertriglyceridemia when combined with lifestyle changes such as a low-saturated-fat diet. However, the FDA has withdrawn approval for use of this combination with statins due to lack of additional cardiovascular benefit and increased side effects compared to statins alone. The combination may still be used in some cases for managing mixed dyslipidemia or severe hypertriglyceridemia but requires careful monitoring due to risks like myopathy or rhabdomyolysis[2][5][6][7].

Other names

fenofibrate and niacin