Pfizer HDL Drug Linked to Hypertension In Some

Pfizer Inc.'s experimental drug to raise "good" HDL cholesterol was effective and well tolerated in two small mid-stage trials, but appeared to cause a small increase in blood pressure among some patients, according to industry analysts. "Investors should note that even minor elevations in blood pressure could partially offset the cardiovascular benefits of elevated HDL," Merrill Lynch analyst David Risinger said in a research report about the drug, called torcetrapib. Complete data on the studies of torcetrapib, the most important medicine in Pfizer's drug pipeline, will be formally presented Monday at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida.