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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Major clinical trial called ILLUMINATE, reported in 2007, torcetrapib was a flop. Although it increased HDL by a whopping 60%, the volunteers who took torcetrapib didn't have any reduction in atherosclerosis compared with those taking a placebo. What they did have were small increases in blood pressure, as well as more cases of heart failure and procedures to open or bypass a blocked artery. The trial was stopped early on safety grounds, since volunteers taking a placebo were faring better than those taking torcetrapib.The results torpedoed torcetrapib's chances of becoming a blockbuster drug, something its maker, Pfizer, was hoping for. They called into question the strategy of raising HDL by blocking CETP. And they also had some experts questioning across-the-board strategies for boosting HDL levels without paying close attention to the structure and function of the new HDL particles induced by the drug.What to do Cholesterol guidelines focus on lowering elevated LDL cholesterol first. If HDL cholesterol rises that is fine, but it should not be the reason for drug therapy. A high HDL doesn't cancel out high LDL when it comes time to determine whether to start lifestyle or drug therapy. Instead, HDL takes a back seat to LDL.That said, it is prudent to do what you can to boost your HDL cholesterol, especially if it is under 40 mg/dL. Changes in lifestyle should be first on your list, since they do other wonderful things for the heart, bones, muscles, and psyche and have no harmful side effects. They
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