The class
Meta-analysis finds CETP inhibitor therapy cuts diabetes incidence by 12 percent (Diabetes Metab 2018)
Original title: Therapy with cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors and diabetes risk
A meta-analysis of four randomised controlled trials of CETP inhibitor therapy, totalling 73,479 patients, examined the drug class's effect on new-onset diabetes over a minimum six-month follow-up. There were 960 new diabetes cases in the CETP inhibitor group versus 1,086 in the placebo group, corresponding to a significant 12 percent reduction in diabetes incidence (odds ratio 0.88, 95 percent CI 0.81 to 0.96, P = 0.005). The relationship between on-treatment HDL-C rise and this diabetes-protective effect showed only a non-significant trend. The authors conclude CETP inhibitors reduced diabetes incidence, an effect that may be partly related to the accompanying rise in HDL-C.
Original abstract
Background: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors are a class of drugs that targets the CETP enzyme to significantly increase serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. As HDL-C has potential antidiabetic properties, and the beneficial effects of CETP drugs on glucose homoeostasis have not been sufficiently studied, the aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effect of CETP inhibitors on the incidence of diabetes; and (2) to assess the association between CETP inhibitor-induced changes in HDL-C levels and incidence of diabetes.
Methods: A meta-analysis was performed of randomized controlled clinical trials of CETP inhibitor therapy, either alone or combined with other lipid-lowering drugs, reporting data from new cases of diabetes with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up, after searching the PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Controlled Trials databases. A fixed-effects meta-regression model was then applied.
Results: Four eligible trials of CETP inhibitors, involving a total of 73,479 patients, were considered for the analyses, including 960 newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in the CTEP inhibitor group vs 1086 in the placebo group. CETP inhibitor therapy was associated with a significant 12% reduction in incidence of diabetes (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81-0.96; P=0.005). Assessment of the relationship between on-treatment HDL-C and the effect of CETP inhibitors showed a statistically non-significant trend (Z=-1.13, P=0.26).
Conclusion: CETP inhibitors reduced the incidence of diabetes. The improvement in glucose metabolism may have been related, at least in part, to the increase in HDL-C concentration.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 19 August 2026. Methods.