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OLD AND NEW IN LIPID LOWERING THERAPY: FOCUS ON THE EMERGING DRUGS

DANIELA BARTOȘ, CAMELIA DIACONU, ELISABETA BĂDILĂ^*, ANA MARIA DARABAN

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The link between cholesterol and atherosclerosis has been long known. Studies on HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol showed that it has two important roles: one in the transport of cholesterol and another directly on vascular endothelium, with a protective action and potential anti-atherogenic effects. Statins are the most common lipidlowering drugs. Other drugs used in the treatment dyslipidemia are bile acid sequestrants, nicotinic acid, ezetimibe, probucol, neomycin, and fibrates. Because the response to treatment is not always satisfactory, new classes of drugs with different mechanisms of action have been developed in the latest years.