Protein Inhibitor Dramatically Raises HDL Levels

A study has shown that inhibition of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is highly effective in raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in patients with low levels, thereby lessening the risk of heart disease. The finding was published in the April 8, 2004, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The experimental drug used in the study for CETP inhibition was torcetrapib (Pfizer, New York, NY, USA). The drug significantly increased levels of HDL in patients with low levels, whether or not they were also being treated with the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin (Lipitor). The combination therapy used in the trial proved so effective that, among those patients who received the highest dosages of both drugs, HDL cholesterol levels were increased by more than 100%.

"These results are striking because it is generally very difficult to raise HDL levels in people with already low-levels of good cholesterol,” said Daniel Rader, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia, USA), who led the study.
According to Dr. Rader, torcetrapib works by inhibiting the ability of CETP to transfer cholesterol from HDL into LDL. Although the drug's CETP-inhibitor properties proved effective when administered by itself, effectiveness was maintained when given in combination with a statin. Torcetrapib is still in clinical development but is designed as chronic long-term therapy to raise HDL levels and reduce heart disease risk, just as statins are used to lower LDL levels. Further studies are being conducted to determine whether it successfully reduces the risk of heart disease.





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