Selecting Antipsychotic Based on Genetic Screening Not Associated With Better Outcomes in Schizophrenia

Using pharmacogenetic data on metabolism status to guide antipsychotic prescribing for schizophrenia patients does not appear to improve symptoms or reduce side effects better than routine monitoring, according to astudy published today inJAMA Network Open. Gesche J ürgens, M.D., Ph.D., of Zealand University Hospital in Roskilde, Denmark, and colleagues conducted a clinical trial involving 311 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia. The participants were screened to see which variants of the drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes they had; based on their pharmacogenetic profile, they were classified as poor drug metabolizers, intermediate metabolizers, extensive metabolizers, or ultrarapid metabolizers.The participants were then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. In the CYP-guided group, the attending psychiatrists were given the patient ’s pharmacogenetic results to guide medication choice and dosing strategy. In the structured clinical monitoring group, the patients’ primary clinical contact (such as a nurse or social workers) was not given CYP results, but at least once every three months, they systemically assessed the patie nt’s symptoms, medication adherence, and side effects. For the routine care group, the patients’ CYP results were not shared, and patients were not required to undergo symptom assessment on a fixed schedule. After one year, there was no difference in antipsychotic persistence among patients in the three groups...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: antipsychotic persistence antipsychotics CYP genetic testing JAMA Network Open metabolism side effects Source Type: research