Pfizer says torcetrapib/atorvastatin raises 'good,' lowers 'bad' cholesterol

By Elaine Rigoli

Tampa, Fla., March 14 - Pfizer said new data from three presentations involving its medicine in development torcetrapib/atorvastatin provides important information on the benefit of raising HDL, or "good" cholesterol, while simultaneously lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

These new findings may play a critical role in reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease and potentially improving quality of life for patients, the company said in a news release.

"As the first potential treatment to offer substantial HDL cholesterol elevations and significant LDL cholesterol lowering, torcetrapib/atorvastatin could well change how physicians manage their patients with cardiovascular disease," said John LaMattina, president of Pfizer Global Research and Development, in a statement.

"This comprehensive clinical trial program will help determine if this hypothesis can offer patients the benefit of slowing atherosclerosis and ultimately preventing cardiovascular events beyond what can be achieved with Lipitor alone," he added.

Discovered and developed by Pfizer, torcetrapib works by blocking CETP (cholesterol ester transfer protein), which is a protein that regulates cholesterol and is responsible for transferring cholesterol from its HDL carrier to LDL, the "bad" carrier of cholesterol that results in plaque buildup in the arteries.

Scientists believe that CETP inhibition raises HDL levels, which results in cholesterol removal from the artery walls, the release said.

Torcetrapib also lowers LDL cholesterol, and LDL is known to cause heart attacks and stroke.

Pfizer said its torcetrapib/atorvastatin development program is the largest and most comprehensive clinical trial program the company has ever undertaken and is studying 25,000 patients at hundreds of medical centers worldwide at a cost of about $800 million.

It is estimated that 71 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in the United States. Most people with elevated cholesterol, a leading risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, are either not diagnosed or have not reached their target LDL levels with medication, the release said.

Pfizer is a global pharmaceutical company based in New York.

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