Cholesterol drugs needs more Research

A new study on Cholesterol drugs has found both good and bad results! Researchers involved in a study that prompted Pfizer Inc. to halt development of torcetrapib, a drug designed to boost "good" cholesterol levels, said that they can't explain exactly how the drug contributed to an increase in cardiovascular problems and death.

The study, led by researchers at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, involved 15,067 patients who were considered at high risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes. All of the patients received atorvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug from Pfizer, while half also received torcetrapib.

In one way the drug fulfilled its promise, increasing good cholesterol by 72% and reducing bad cholesterol by 24% in patients who were also taking a potent cholesterol-lowering drug. Despite the increase, the rate of potentially deadly heart problems rose by 25% and deaths rose by 40%, the study showed.

The study also showed that patients who responded best to the experimental drug had half the heart attacks and other cardiovascular events as others in the trial.

The findings raise the possibility that other drugs that raise good cholesterol, or HDL, may succeed where torcetrapib failed, by safely boosting good cholesterol. Link