title: What does the future hold for cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibition?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article summarizes the latest studies relevant to cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibition and cardiovascular risk and proposes a series of patient populations that might eventually derive benefits from CETP inhibition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of recently published genetic epidemiology studies have helped shape our understanding of the association between lipoprotein-lipid levels and cardiovascular disease risk. These studies have confirmed the proatherogenic role of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins and triglycerides and renewed our interest for lipoprotein(a) as a significant and causal predictor of cardiovascular risk. The association between HDL cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk, albeit strong and consistent, is unlikely to be of causative nature, at least according to genetic epidemiology. However, a handful of intriguing studies have highlighted a predictive role for HDL cholesterol efflux capacities in predicting cardiovascular risk independently of HDL cholesterol levels. Potent CETP inhibitors, currently under investigation, significantly decrease apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins and lipoprotein(a) and increase both HDL cholesterol levels and HDL cholesterol efflux capacities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trials testing the hypothesis that CETP inhibition will reduce cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients are well underway. The future of CETP inhibition will depend on the outcomes of these trials.
authors.affiliation: aCentre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de QuébecbDepartment of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, CanadacDepartment of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, AmsterdamdDezima Pharma BV, Naarden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Benoit J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Arsenault
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: John J P
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kastelein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D053480:Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D053480:Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins