Pharmacogenetic study of cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene and simvastatin treatment in hypercholesterolaemic subjects

Objective: To examine the effect of the 1405V and TaqIB polymorphisms of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) on the lipid response after simvastatin treatment in 180 hypercholesterolaemic patients. Methods: Hypercholesterolaemic patients (n = 180) attending the lipid clinic at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center were genotyped and their response to simvastatin was evaluated. Results: Sequence variations in the CETP gene influenced the effect of lipid-lowering treatment. Specifically, the I allele of the 1405V polymorphism was associated with a greater reduction in triglyceride (TG; p = 0.04) and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p = 0.05) after treatment compared with the V allele. Conclusions: The authors' findings suggest that CETP 1405V polymorphism modifies the effect of simvastatin on TG reduction and HDL-C elevation; the carriers of the I allele responded better to treatment. These findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.