Xconomy: With Esperion Reboot, Lipitor Co-Discoverer Roger Newton Pushes For Therapy Beyond Drugs
Summary
With Esperion Reboot, Lipitor Co-Discoverer Roger Newton Pushes For Therapy Beyond Drugs Xconomy Detroit/Ann Arbor — A few years ago, I went to see my doctor for a routine check-up.Blood tests showed I had a high count of low density lipoids (LDL), the so-called “bad cholesterol” that clogs arteries and causes heart attacks.I couldn’t help but recount this story recently to Roger Newton, CEO of Esperion Therapeutics in Plymouth, MI.But that doesn’t add to the revenues of the pharma companies.” He continued, “People like you who are 31 years old should really try to change your lifestyle and really be committed to that for the rest of your life.The startup is developing drugs to combat cardiovascular disease and diabetes by boosting high density lipoids (HDL), the so-called “good cholesterol.” Pfizer’s acquisition of Esperion was “all well and good and people became wealthy and everything, but we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish, which was to have some sort of HDL therapy out there in the marketplace.” Statins like Lipitor focus on lowering LDL in the blood, preventing plaque from clogging the arteries.