Volume 55, Issue 5 pp. 675-684
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Pemafibrate improves liver biochemistry and GLOBE scores in patients with primary biliary cholangitis: Nationwide, multicenter study by the Japanese Red Cross Liver Study Group

Keiji Tsuji

Keiji Tsuji

Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

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Nobuharu Tamaki

Nobuharu Tamaki

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

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Masayuki Kurosaki

Corresponding Author

Masayuki Kurosaki

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence

Masayuki Kurosaki, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, 1-26-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8610, Japan.

Email: [email protected]

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Nami Mori

Nami Mori

Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

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Shintaro Takaki

Shintaro Takaki

Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

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Kazuki Ohya

Kazuki Ohya

Department of Gastroenterology, Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-bomb Survivors Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan

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Toshie Mashiba

Toshie Mashiba

Center for Liver-Biliary-Pancreatic Disease, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, Matsuyama, Japan

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Hironori Ochi

Hironori Ochi

Center for Liver-Biliary-Pancreatic Disease, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, Matsuyama, Japan

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Haruhiko Kobashi

Haruhiko Kobashi

Department of Gastroenterology, Japanese Red Cross Okayama Hospital, Okayama, Japan

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Chikara Ogawa

Chikara Ogawa

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Takamatsu Red Cross Hospital, Kagawa, Japan

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Michiko Nonogi

Michiko Nonogi

Department of Gastroenterology, Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, Tokushima, Japan

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Hideo Yoshida

Hideo Yoshida

Department of Gastroenterology, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

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Takehiro Akahane

Takehiro Akahane

Department of Gastroenterology, Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital, Ishinomaki, Japan

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Masahiko Kondo

Masahiko Kondo

Department of Gastroenterology, Otsu Red Cross Hospital, Otsu, Japan

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Toyotaka Kasai

Toyotaka Kasai

Department of Gastroenterology, Fukaya Red Cross Hospital, Saitama, Japan

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Hideki Fujii

Hideki Fujii

Department of Gastroenterology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

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Yasushi Uchida

Yasushi Uchida

Department of Gastroenterology, Matsue Red Cross Hospital, Matsue, Japan

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Hirotaka Arai

Hirotaka Arai

Department of Gastroenterology, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi, Japan

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Kaoru Tsuchiya

Kaoru Tsuchiya

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

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Namiki Izumi

Namiki Izumi

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Musashino Red Cross Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

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First published: 19 February 2025
Citations: 1

Abstract

Aim

We aimed to evaluate the effect of pemafibrate, a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α modulator, on patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) complicated by dyslipidemia.

Methods

In total, 61 patients with PBC (Add-on group: 33 patients on ursodeoxycholic acid [UDCA] + pemafibrate combination therapy; Switch group: 28 patients who switched from UDCA + other fibrates to UDCA + pemafibrate combination therapy) were included in the study. Changes in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and GLOBE scores were retrospectively analyzed from 6 months before to 12 months after treatment. The POISE criteria were also used to evaluate the treatment efficacy after 12 months.

Results

After 12 months of UDCA + pemafibrate combination therapy, AST significantly decreased from 45 ± 3 to 28 ± 3 U/L (p < 0.05), ALT from 49 ± 5 to 32 ± 5 U/L (p < 0.005), GGT from 155 ± 223 to 91 ± 182 U/L (p < 0.005), and ALP from 1.4 ± 0.9 to 0.9 ± 0.8 × upper limit of normal (p < 0.0005) in all patients. ALT, GGT, and ALP levels were significantly lower after 12 months of UDCA + pemafibrate combination therapy in both the Add-on and Switch groups. After 12 months of combination therapy, the mean GLOBE score of all patients significantly decreased from 0.37 to 0.01 (p < 0.05) and the percentage of patients with a GLOBE score of 0.3 or higher decreased.

Conclusions

In patients with PBC who showed an inadequate response to prior therapy, pemafibrate add-on or switch therapy improved liver biochemistry and GLOBE scores. Pemafibrate may be useful as a second-line drug when UDCA alone is inadequate, or as an alternative after combination therapy with other fibrates.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Masayuki Kurosaki is the Editor-in-Chief of Hepatology Research. Kaoru Tsuchiya is the editorial board member of Hepatology Research. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Research data are not shared.

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