New therapies on the horizon.

Statins have proved to be potent drugs for reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. However, because the response to current statin therapy regimens is not always sufficient to reach defined goal levels, additional drugs to lower LDL-C are needed. New drugs may soon be available to lower LDL-C levels by mechanisms that differ from those of the statins. Among these new agents are a bile acid binding resin, inhibitors of bile acid transport, inhibitors of cholesterol transport, inhibitors of cholesterol esterification, and triglyceride-lowering agents.