72 percent of heart drugs are impacted by genetics, study finds

The evidence for expanded use of pharmacogenetic data to help inform heart medication prescribing just got stronger. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature on pharmacogenomics and heart medications found that 71.8 percent of the 71 drugs studied had positive evidence for varied response or adverse effects based on genetics. The review encompassed 597 publications and identified 884 unique pairings … Read More

Case Report: Severe neurological problems tied to HIV treatment

The mental deterioration of a 33-year-old man with HIV began with vivid dreams just weeks after he began a standard course of HIV treatment. The treatment was a combination of the medications efavirenz, tenofovir and emtricitabine (Atripla). This course seemed successful, with the man’s HIV viral load decreasing to non-detectable levels within a few weeks. HIV treatment continued. Then the … Read More

Genelex associate lab director follows life-long passion for pharmacogenetics research

As a 12 year-old-boy in India, Ranjit Thirumaran, M.Pharm, PhD, saw the toll adverse drug reactions can take firsthand. Following hospitalization after a minor accident, his uncle suddenly died, likely due to an adverse drug reaction from a recently administered dose of warfarin. “I was always curious: Could something have been done to save him?” said Dr. Thirumaran, Genelex’s associate … Read More

Gauging the IMPACT of pharmacogenetic testing

Update: The results of this research are in! Find out more here. How can pharmacogenetic testing improve care for elderly patients taking multiple medications? Genelex is trying to find out. As a pioneer in the field of personalized medicine, Genelex, the creators of the YouScript Personalized Prescribing System, is continually investigating ways to further research on the benefits of pharmacogenetic … Read More

NIH panel: Patient-centered approach needed for pain management

Those suffering from chronic pain need individualized care strategies to be best served by their physicians, according to the recent findings of an expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Persons living with chronic pain have often been grouped into a single category, and treatment approaches have been generalized with little evidence to support this practice,” said … Read More

June is Men’s Health Month!

With Father’s Day approaching, what better way to celebrate the men you call family and friends than by helping to make sure they take their health seriously? June is National Men’s Health month, a time for men everywhere to focus on the health concerns that most often impact them. For many men this means cardiovascular health, which includes controlling blood … Read More

Clinical decision support drug interaction alerts need overhaul, report finds

A new report recognizes the frustration physicians commonly have with drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts in clinical decision support software and presents a number of ways they could be improved. “Improving the usability of DDI decision support is essential because patient safety is compromised when clinicians perceive DDI alerts as unimportant because of poor presentation or lack of relevance,” authors Payne … Read More

Mapping the human placebome? Genetics may hold key to placebo effect

Could the reason why the placebo effect works for some people and not others lie in their DNA? The authors of a new scientific review article make the case that, just as an individual’s response to medications is dependent upon their unique genetics, so too could their response to placebos. In the article, authors Hall, Loscalzo and Kaptchuk delve into … Read More