In pharmacology, the fibrates are a class of amphipathic carboxylic acids. They are used for a range of metabolic disorders, mainly hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), and are therefore hypolipidemic agents.

Fibrates prescribed commonly are:

Fibrates are used in accessory therapy in many forms of hypercholesterolemia, usually in combination with statins. Clinical trials do support their use as monotherapy agents. Fibrates reduce the number of non-fatal heart attacks, but do not improve all-cause mortality and are therefore indicated only in those not tolerant to statins.

Although less effective in lowering LDL, fibrates improve HDL and triglyceride levels by increasing HDL levels and decreasing triglyceride levels, and seem to improve insulin resistance when the dyslipidemia is associated with other features of the metabolic syndrome (hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2). They are therefore used in many hyperlipidemias.

Evidence from studies in rodents and in humans is available to indicate five major mechanisms underlying the above-mentioned modulation of lipoprotein phenotypes by fibrates: