Heartbreaking Results

You were the principal investigator for another torcetrapib study. What did that study examine?

It was looking to see if torcetrapib-treated patients had a slower rate of progress of plaque build-up in coronary arteries. That study will be reported in March at the American College of Cardiology as originally planned.

Are there any other HDL-raising drugs currently in the works?

There are some, but they are a long way off. I don't see anything developing before 2011 at the earliest.

What about Niaspan, a drug containing the B-vitamin niacin?

It's been around a long time. It's actually generically available. The biggest problem we have, however, is that it has a lot of side effects and it's very difficult for many patients to take it. And its effect is only modest.