A Recent Case Study Torcetrapib

The recent years have seen the success of statins like Lipitor (atorvastatin) as hypolipidemic agents that help treating cardiovascular disease primarily by lowering low-density lipoproteins ( bad cholesterol ) levels. Another novel strategy is to tackle the same problem by elevating high-density lipoproteins (H D L or good cholesterol ) levels via inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). 

On 2nd December 2006, Pfizer, whose CETP inhibitor torcetrapib (CP-529414) was the first compound aimed at this target, announced that its development had to be stopped in phase III. Of 7500 patients who were given a combination of torcetrapib and atorvastatin, 82 had died, while in the other arm of the study, where patients were given atorvastatin alone, only 51 of 7500 patients had died. There was also a significant rise in blood pressure observed in the group that received torcetrapib. 

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