PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACOGENETICS from concepts to cases Book Now Available

Clinicians who treat psychiatric patients know that medications can be lifesaving, but they also know that these same potentially lifesaving psychotropic medications can have serious side effects. We now have a tool in pharmacogenetic testing that can help minimize medication side effects. Patients are increasingly requesting that their provider use this tool to help more accurately select a treatment, address … Read More

CYP2C19 and Clopidogrel Therapy for Stroke Patients

Key Takeaway: The use of clopidogrel plus aspirin compared with aspirin alone reduced the risk of a new stroke only in patients with normal CYP2C19 activity. This supports the findings that CYP2C19 genotype has a role in the efficacy of this treatment. Each year, approximately 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke and antiplatelet therapy plays a critical … Read More

Updated Phenotype Terminology

YouScript and Genelex Labs have updated their phenotype names to be consistent with the standardized terms for clinical pharmacogenetic test results proposed by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) in the July 2016 issue of Genetics in Medicine. Like CPIC, we believe that implementing standardized terminology is an important step toward the widespread adoption of clinical pharmacogenetics. These standard terms … Read More

CYP2D6 Testing Could Ease Parents Fears After Codeine Warning

A recent warning from the American Academy of Pediatrics has many parents worrying if their child is an ultrarapid metabolizer of the popular drug codeine. The clinical report is calling for a formal restriction of codeine, over risks of life-threatening or fatal breathing reactions. The pain reliever is often given in hospitals for procedures such as tonsillectomies and is commonly … Read More

October: Now is the time to get informed about breast cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S., meaning now is the time to learn more about the disease, the genetic component to a common breast cancer medication and steps women can take to detect the disease early. Breast cancer strikes about one in eight women in the U.S. and is the second leading cause of cancer death in … Read More

Case Report: Common painkiller tied to ER visit, internal bleeding

A young woman’s treatment with a common prescription painkiller for her chronic bladder pain eventually landed her in the emergency room. The 24 year old had started taking the pain reliever celecoxib (Celebrex) for interstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic condition that causes pelvic pain and urinary problems. This syndrome has no cure, with treatment based on trial and error. The … Read More

FDA strengthens heart attack, stroke risk warnings for NSAID pain medications

People regularly taking a common type of painkiller called an NSAID may be at greater risk for heart attack or stroke than previously thought. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strengthened existing warnings of potentially deadly heart attack and stroke risk for a class of pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAID labeling already warns of … Read More

Medicare coverage in the era of precision medicine

By John C. Nelson, MD, MPH I was pleased to read an insightful editorial discussing precision medicine in the June edition of the Journal of the American Medicine Association. There is great promise for patients in improving their quality of care as well as the potential to decrease the healthcare costs associated with preventable morbidity and mortality. It is, therefore, … Read More

Questions raised on codeine safety in children

The top drug safety agencies in the U.S. and Europe have raised concerns about the risks associated with codeine in children’s cold-and-cough medicine. This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is investigating the safety of codeine-containing cold-and-cough medicine for children younger than 18 due to the risk of potentially serious side effects. These can include slowed … Read More