Acute renal failure with the combined use of rosuvastatin and fenofibrate

Among the lipid-lowering drugs, the statins and fibrates are the most commonly used agents. Either class of drug is considered relatively safe. Though a variety of albeit uncommon adverse side effects have been observed with both classes, most of these therapeutic complications can be managed without discontinuation of the offending drug. Sometimes, especially in patients with extremely high cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels, a combination regimen is deemed necessary. However, the combined use of lipid-lowering drugs increases the incidence and severity of adverse events. In this article, we report an unusual case of acute renal failure (ARF) in a patient who had been prescribed both a statin (rosuvastatin) and a fibrate (fenofibrate).