For antihyperlipidemia therapy, which class should be taken with food to increase absorption?

• A. Statins
• B. Fibrates
• C. Niacin
• D. Bile acid sequestrants

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that some lipid-lowering drugs have better oral absorption when taken with food because eating stimulates bile flow and fat-based solubility, helping certain drugs enter the bloodstream more effectively. Lovastatin, a statin, is the classic example: its bioavailability increases when taken with a meal, especially a fatty one, so taking a statin with food can enhance how much drug gets absorbed and thus its lipid-lowering effect. This is why the statin class is the best fit for a dosing instruction to take with meals to boost absorption. Other classes have different dosing considerations—bile acid sequestrants are often taken with meals to help them bind bile acids in the gut, but that doesn’t reflect an absorption boost of the drug itself, and fibrates or niacin don’t have a general rule that meals are needed to improve absorption.