Torcetrapib 120 mg per day raises HDL cholesterol by 46 percent and lowers LDL cholesterol by 8 percent in subjects with low HDL, a review reports (Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2004)

Although the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol-lowering statins reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with coronary artery disease, considerable mortality and morbidity remains. Increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol reduces coronary artery disease mortality and morbidity. In healthy subjects with mild dyslipidaemia, treatment with JTT-705 decreased cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity, increased HDL-cholesterol and decreased LDL-cholesterol. Similarly, another CETP inhibitor, torcetrapib 120 mg/day has recently been shown to increase HDL-cholesterol by 46%, decrease LDL-cholesterol by 8% and have no effect on triglycerides in subjects with HDL-cholesterol < 1 mmol/l. In subjects treated with atorvastatin to lower their LDL-cholesterol levels, torcetrapib further lowered LDL-cholesterol while increasing HDL-cholesterol. In conclusion, raising HDL-cholesterol with inhibitors of CETP is a new approach to coronary artery disease that requires further investigation, especially in patients with coronary artery disease.