Genetics
CETP TaqIB genotype fails to predict cardiovascular events or pravastatin benefit in the CARE trial cohort (J Am Coll Cardiol 2004)
Original title: The cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) TaqIB polymorphism in the cholesterol and recurrent events study: no interaction with the response to pravastatin therapy and no effects on cardiovascular outcome: a prospective analysis of the CETP TaqIB polymorphism on cardiovascular outcome and interaction with cholesterol-lowering therapy
Testing whether the CETP TaqIB gene polymorphism, previously postulated from angiographic data to predict atherosclerosis progression and cholesterol-lowering-therapy response, actually predicts clinical outcomes, this analysis used the Cholesterol And Recurrent Events (CARE) cohort, which studied five years of pravastatin therapy for coronary events. Odds ratios for the primary endpoint did not differ significantly from unity across the three TaqIB genotype subgroups after five years of placebo. Pravastatin produced similar changes in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol across genotypes, and reduced nonfatal myocardial infarction and coronary deaths to the same extent in all three groups. In the CARE cohort, CETP TaqIB genotype therefore neither predicts cardiovascular events nor identifies who benefits from pravastatin.
Original abstract
Objectives: On the basis of quantitative coronary angiography data, the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) TaqIB gene polymorphism has been postulated to predict the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and response to cholesterol-lowering therapy.
Background: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein mediates the exchange of lipids between anti-atherogenic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and atherogenic apolipoprotein B containing lipoproteins and therefore plays a key role in human lipid metabolism. Hence, CETP gene polymorphisms may alter susceptibility to atherosclerosis.
Methods: To investigate the significance of the CETP TaqIB gene polymorphism with respect to clinical end points, we used the Cholesterol And Recurrent Events (CARE) cohort. The CARE study was designed to investigate the effect of five years of pravastatin therapy on coronary events.
Results: We found that the odds ratios for the primary end point were not significantly different from unity for the three genetic subgroups after five years of placebo treatment. Furthermore, pravastatin induced similar changes in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol among TaqIB genotypes, and both nonfatal myocardial infarction and deaths from coronary heart disease were reduced to the same extent in all three genotypes.
Conclusions: In the CARE cohort, the CETP TaqIB polymorphism does not predict cardiovascular events or discriminate between those who will or will not benefit from pravastatin treatment.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.