Dutch start-up Dezima Pharma has in-licensed the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor DEZ-001 (formerly TA-8995) from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. The biotech plans to support the advancement of the drug candidate to Phase III development and will initiate a Phase II trial in the coming months. DEZ-001 has thus far demonstrated a significant and clinically relevant effect on high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels in healthy volunteers. CETP inhibitors remain a high-risk investment, however, following the Phase III development failures of Pfizer’s torcetrapib and Roche’s dalcetrapib.