Fenofibrate in primary sclerosing cholangitis; a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease with no medical treatment proven to improve survival and postpone liver transplantation. Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of fibrates in primary biliary cholangitis. The current study prospectively evaluated the effect of fenofibrate on PSC patients. We administered 200 mg of fenofibrate to PSC patients in the intervention arm and a placebo in the control arm once per day for 6 months and evaluated liver biochemistries (alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, and albumin) and the Mayo Risk Score at the start and end of the study. The primary endpoint was defined as a reduction greater than 50% or normalization of ALP levels. Secondary endpoints were an improvement in the Mayo Risk Score and serum bilirubin levels. Thirty patients were included (19 female, 11 male, 40.2 ± 9.2 years old), all under treatment with Ursodeoxycholic acid prior to this study. ALP and ALT levels significantly decreased in the fenofibrate group, by 64.7% (mean difference = 557, p = 0.004, 95% CI = 208.72, 905.27) and 52.78%, (p = 0.006), respectively. The primary endpoint was achieved in 66.7% of patients (10 in 15) in the fenofibrate group versus 20% of patients (3 in 15) in the placebo group (p = 0.009). Other endpoints were not met. As studies have demonstrated lower levels of ALP may improve outcomes for PSC, our study resulted in significantly lower levels of ALP in the fenofibrate group, which could translate into better disease prognosis in PSC.