[Trends toward development of other novel antihyperlipidemic drugs].

A number of primary and secondary prevention studies with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors(statins) have shown a reduction of cardiac events. However, such cardiac events cannot be completely prevented by antihyperlipidemic drugs there are a number of patients whose hyperlipidemia is resistant to conventional treatment. Furthermore, it is still difficult to observe a regression of atherosclerosis even when patients become normolipidemic after treatment. Thus, many antihyperlipidemic drugs with novel mechanisms are under development and are expected to inhibit progression or rather obtain regression of atherosclerosis in clinical settings. In the current review, inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis such as squalene synthase and squalene epoxidase inhibitors, ileal Na+/bile acid cotransporter(IBAT) inhibitors, and inhibitors of intestinal cholesterol absorption are described.