Chemmart Gemfibrozil

Country: Australia

Language: English

Source: Department of Health (Therapeutic Goods Administration)

Active ingredient:

Gemfibrozil

Available from:

Apotex Pty Ltd

Class:

Medicine Registered

Patient Information leaflet

CHEMMART GEMFIBROZIL

_Contains the active ingredient gemfibrozil (gem-FI-broe-zil)_
CONSUMER MEDICINE INFORMATION

WHAT IS IN THIS LEAFLET
This leaflet answers some common
questions about Chemmart
Gemfibrozil. It does not contain all
the available information. It does not
take the place of talking to your
doctor and pharmacist.
The information in this leaflet was
last updated on the date listed on the
last page. More recent information on
this medicine may be available.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist:
•
if there is anything you do not
understand in this leaflet,
•
if you are worried about taking
your medicine, or
•
to obtain the most up-to-date
information.
You can also download the most up
to date leaflet from
www.apotex.com.au.
All medicines have risks and
benefits. Your doctor has weighed
the risks of you using this medicine
against the benefits they expect it
will have for you.
Pharmaceutical companies cannot
give you medical advice or an
individual diagnosis.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.
You may need to read it again.
WHAT THIS MEDICINE IS
USED FOR
The name of your medicine is
Chemmart Gemfibrozil.
It contains the active ingredient
gemfibrozil.
It is used to treat:
•
high triglycerides and cholesterol
levels.
It should be used in conjunction with
a low fat diet.
Ask your doctor if you have any
questions about why this medicine
has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it
for another reason.
_HOW IT WORKS_
Cholesterol is a type of fat that is a
normal and important substance in
your body. It is used to build cell
walls, and to make bile acids and
hormones. Your body usually makes
cholesterol in the liver, but it also
comes from food. If the body does
not balance the amount of cholesterol
it needs with the amount of
cholesterol eaten, then your
cholesterol level becomes abnormal.
There are different types of
cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is "bad"
cholesterol that can block your blood
vessels. HDL cholesterol is the
"good" cholesterol that is thought to
remove the

Summary of Product characteristics

Product Information 
– Australia 
Chemmart Gemfibrozil   

Page 1 of 11 
CHEMMART GEMFIBROZIL TABLETS 

NAME OF THE MEDICINE 
Gemfibrozil. 

Chemical name:  
5-(2,5-dimethylphenoxy)-2,2-dimethylpentanoic acid. 

Structural Formula: 

Molecular Formula:   C
15
H
22
O
3
. 

Molecular Weight:  
250.35.  

CAS Registry No:  
25812-30-0 

DESCRIPTION  
Gemfibrozil  is  a  non-halogenated  phenoxypentanoic  acid.  It  is  a  white,  waxy  powder  which  is  stable 
under ordinary conditions. The melting point is 58 - 61°C. Its solubility is 0.0019% (w/v) in water and in 
acid and over 1% in dilute base. 

PHARMACOLOGY  
Gemfibrozil  is  a  lipid  regulating  agent which decreases serum triglycerides and total cholesterol, and 
increases  high  density  lipoprotein  cholesterol  (HDL-cholesterol).  The  lipid-lowering  changes  occur 
primarily in the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction rich in triglycerides and to a lesser extent in 
the  low  density  lipoprotein  (LDL)  fraction  rich  in  cholesterol.  Gemfibrozil  treatment  of  patients  with 
elevated triglycerides due to Type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia
may cause a rise in LDL-cholesterol. 

However,  gemfibrozil  increases  the  HDL-cholesterol  subfractions,  HDL2  and  HDL3,  as  well  as 
apolipoproteins AI and AII.  

Gemfibrozil's  mechanism  of  action  has  not  been  definitely  established.  In  man,  gemfibrozil  inhibits 
peripheral  lipolysis  and  decreases  the  hepatic  extraction  of  free  fatty  acids,  thus  reducing  hepatic 
triglyceride production. Gemfibrozil also inhibits synthesis and
increases clearance of apolipoprotein B, 
which is a carrier of VLDL, leading to a decrease in
VLDL production