Dalcetrapib Failure Raises Yet More Questions On Value Of Tinkering With HDL Cholesterol

14 May 2012

• By Emily Hayes

Termination of the development program for dalcetrapib creates more doubt about the class of CETP inhibitors, long viewed with ambivalence. But important differences in how the drug works compared to rivals leaves room for some to hold out hope for CETP inhibition and the HDL hypothesis in general.

The termination of Roche’s dalcetrapib in a massive outcomes study raises more questions about not only the class of CETP inhibitors but also, once again, about the value of any therapy aimed at raising so-called “good” HDL cholesterol.

Roche announced on May 7 that it is terminating its entire dal-HEART program studying dalcetrapib, which includes two outcomes trials...