Choline Fenofibrate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

The elimination half-life of choline fenofibrate is about 20 hours — but that is the half-life of fenofibric acid, the active form, not of fenofibrate itself — that is how long the body takes to clear half of a dose. Fenofibrate is a prodrug. The label states it "is a pro-drug of the active chemical moiety fenofibric acid" and that after an oral dose it is "rapidly hydrolyzed by esterases to the active metabolite, fenofibric acid; no unchanged fenofibrate is detected in plasma." So there is no parent half-life to report — the label gives only one figure: "Fenofibric acid is eliminated with a half-life of 20 hours, allowing once daily dosing." That 20 hours is the elimination (terminal) half-life of the active moiety; the label reports no separate distribution phase. Kidney function matters: the label says patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (eGFR 30–59 mL/min/1.73m2) had similar exposure but "an increase in the half-life for fenofibric acid" compared with healthy subjects (it does not say by how much), and severe impairment (eGFR under 30) showed a 2.7-fold increase in exposure with accumulation on chronic dosing — the label says to avoid fenofibrate in severe renal impairment and to reduce the dose in mild-to-moderate. Older adults: in volunteers aged 77–87 the oral clearance of fenofibric acid was 1.2 L/h versus 1.1 L/h in young adults, i.e. essentially unchanged, so no age-related prolongation is described in those with normal renal function. Liver impairment: the label states no pharmacokinetic studies have been conducted in hepatic impairment, so the half-life there is unknown. Half-life is not the same as how long a drug test can detect the drug, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run choline fenofibrate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

Across the brands we track, choline fenofibrate is currently marketed as capsule, delayed release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

We do not currently list a generic-labelled choline fenofibrate product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.