The COMT Val(108/158)Met Genetic Polymorphism can not be Recommended as a Biomarker of Prediction of Venlafaxine Efficacy in Patients treated in Psychiatric settings

This study was nested in the METADAP cohort, a real‐world naturalistic treatment study in psychiatric settings. 206 Caucasian patients with a unipolar Major Depressive Episode (DSM‐IVTR) treated with venlafaxine and evaluated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were studied. 180 patients were genotyped for the COMT Val(108/158)Met, rs4680 genetic polymorphism and classified into 3 genotype subgroups: Val/Val, Val/Met, Met/Met. The COMT genotype was the explanatory variable and the variables to be explained were the HDRS score, the HDRS score improvement over time, response and remission rates. Venlafaxine had a trend to higher efficacy in the Val/Val patients as compared to Met/Met carriers, as shown by the HDRS score improvement after 3 months of treatment but this result was not significant in mixed models (Val/Val: 59.78% (±22.4); Val/Met: 51.64% (±26.3); Met/Met: 39.52% (±27.6). The percentage of responders and remitters after 3 months of treatment were not significantly different in the 3 genotype groups, although coherent trends were shown. The COMT Val(108/158)Met, rs4680 genetic polymorphism can not be recommended as a biomarker of prediction of venlafaxine efficacy in patients treated in psychiatric settings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research