title: Bezafibrate treatment: a new medical approach for PBC patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A new medical approach to primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has been desired. We investigated the feasibility of using combination ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)-bezafibrate therapy in patients with PBC nonresponsive to UDCA monotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a 6-month period, 22 PBC patients with elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) despite UDCA monotherapy received either UDCA at 600 mg/day (control group) or UDCA at 600 mg/day plus bezafibrate at 400 mg/day (bezafibrate group). Each patient underwent detailed clinical and biochemical evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During treatment, changes in ALP level were greater in the bezafibrate group than in the control group (P< 0.01). During and at the end of treatment, serum ALP levels were significantly lower than those before treatment in patients receiving UDCA plus bezafibrate (P< 0.05). At the end of the 6 months, normalization of serum ALP was observed in 5 of 11 (45.4%) patients given bezafibrate and in 2 of 11 (18.1%) patients not given bezafibrate (P< 0.16). Bile acid proportions during the combination therapy did not change. Pruritus disappeared in 1 of 7 bezafibrate-group patients with this symptom.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  UDCA at 600 mg/day plus bezafibrate at 400 mg/day may be considered as a new therapeutic option for patients with PBC.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yokosuka
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Imazeki
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saisho
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D001629:Bezafibrate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000097:blood; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D001629:Bezafibrate