New drugs for HDL-C disorders: the beginning.

For more than 20 years there has been increasing interest in the development of novel therapies to raise levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). However, well publicized failures of recent clinical trials of agents that raise HDL-C levels have stimulated considerable controversy with regard to the potential clinical utility of this therapeutic target. A number of classes of agents are currently under investigation with variable effects on HDL quantity and quality. These will be reviewed.