New Precision Medicine Study Confirms Dramatic Reduction in Readmissions and ER Visits

Use of pharmacogenetic testing supported by an appropriate clinical decision support tool reduces mortality and overall health resource utilization in patients treated with multiple medications Seattle, WA — YouScript, a proprietary clinical decision support tool designed to assist in medication therapy management, has been shown to reduce readmissions by 52 percent (p=0.007) and ER visits by 42 percent (p=0.045) in … 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

Unexpected Culprit – Is Grapefruit Affecting Your Drug Regimen?

In January of this year, we wrote about how herbal and dietary supplements can alter the metabolism of certain medications. St. John’s Wort was the supplement primarily discussed. However, it is not just herbal supplements that can alter drug metabolism and cause drug interactions; food can be a common offender as well. This week we will be looking at the … Read More

What to Watch for When Taking Dietary or Herbal Supplements

Have you ever taken a vitamin, herbal product or supplement? You’re not alone. In fact, an estimated one-quarter, up to one-half, of adults taking prescription medications also take dietary supplements according to an article by Mayo Clinic Staff. Have you ever wondered if there are any safety concerns with taking one of these products? Most people assume that vitamins and … Read More

Tamoxifen and CYP2D6 Interactions

CYP2D6 gene testing for personalizing tamoxifen therapy has been a source of confusion and debate for over a decade. In addition to conflicting outcomes data on breast cancer recurrence rates in women with deficient CYP2D6 enzyme activity (i.e., CYP2D6 Intermediate and Poor Metabolizers) treated with tamoxifen, significant controversy exists around the methodology for using tumor cell DNA to estimate the … Read More

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Living with a genetic rarity

Imagine not being able to pick up a pencil without your fingers hurting. Sending a letter, doing a crossword puzzle, these are just a few of the simple tasks that trigger pain in your joints on a regular basis. This can be a reality people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome face every day. Except that this pain often is felt from head to … 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

Case Report: Boy becomes comatose after painkiller treatment

One day after a 5½-year-old boy was released from the hospital for a routine tonsillectomy, he was comatose in the ER. The boy had undergone surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids to treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a potentially serious sleep disorder that causes pauses in breathing and a blocked airway. The surgery was successful, and he was sent … Read More

FDA warns supplements, meds can be dangerous blend

Mixing medications with dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbal products, can be dangerous, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cautioned. Certain dietary supplements can boost the effects of other medications as well as change how the human body processes medications, according to the FDA, thereby changing the blood levels of that medication. “[Patients] may be getting either … Read More