Therapeutic targets to raise HDL in patients at risk or with coronary artery disease.

The plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are inversely related to cardiovascular risk. Traditional HDL-raising therapies, like fibrates, PPAR-γ agonists, and nicacin, among others, are associated with undesirable side effects, limited efficacy, or have not yet been shown to improve morbidity and mortality on top of statins in clinical outcome trials. A novel pharmacological target for raising circulating HDL-C levels is the cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP), an enzyme that facilitates the transport of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides between the lipoproteins.