Contemporary and Novel Therapeutic Options for Hypertriglyceridemia
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Updated: Mar 30, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles
Published on: November 10, 2017
Damon A Bell1, Gerald F Watts2
1School of Medicine & Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Lipid Disorders Clinic, Cardiometabolic Service, Department of Cardiology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Purpose:
The purpose of this review was to outline the current and emerging therapeutic options for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia, with an emphasis on emerging therapies.
Methods:
A systematic literature search was conducted with the use of PubMed and Embase for articles on hypertriglyceridemia, with a focus on therapeutics, pharmacology, and management. Abstracts from recent international meetings were also reviewed for presentations of Phase I and II data on agents with triglyceride-lowering effects. A further review of the references identified from these articles was also performed.
Findings:
Consistent with the multifactorial cause of hypertriglyceridemia, the therapeutic options are broad and numerous. This review explores the current and potential therapeutic options for treating hypertriglyceridemia and outlines the potential mechanisms of action. However, the mechanism of triglyceride reduction is complex, multifactorial, or not fully elucidated for some of these agents. The magnitude of triglyceride reduction and findings of outcome studies are described.
Implications:
Management of hypertriglyceridemia is about to enter an exciting phase, with multiple emerging therapies in the final stages of development. However, caution is warranted, because studies of therapeutic agents over the previous decade have often not found cardiovascular outcome benefits despite encouraging effects on triglyceride concentrations.
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