Blood-pressure increase concern for Pfizer drug
Experimental drug to boost good cholesterol also raises blood pressure - 11/1/06
On October 31, 2006, a report showed Pfizer Inc.'s leading experimental drug to raise good cholesterol, torcetrapib, also raises patients' blood pressure. The report raised concern about the outlook of the drug.
Doctors hope torcetrapib may slow or reverse clogging of heart arteries, but an increase in blood pressure is a concern because patients taking the drug may already be at risk for heart disease. In addition, higher blood pressure increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes, a side effect the company is concerned about because the drug aims to help people avoid cardiovascular illness.
Pfizer said the report is an analysis that represents less than 25 percent of the data the company has collected on torcetrapib so far. The company also pointed out that the drug, when taken in combination with its other cholesterol-fighting drug Lipitor, showed positive effects in raising good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol.
The company is spending more than $800 million on clinical tests of torcetrapib, and additional studies are expected to use ultrasound to show the effect of the drug on arteries.
Source: Scott Hensley, "Pfizer's top experimental drug is clouded by blood-pressure rise," Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2006.
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