Articles related to DRUG SAFETY & INTERACTIONS

Selecting effective antidepressants for the treatment of major depressive disorder is an imprecise practice. With remission rates of about 30% after the initial therapy selection, there is a need to uncover biomarkers able to predict treatment response. This study looked at pharmacogenomic testing for drug-gene interactions to guide treatment selection. Unfortunately, they did not find significantly improved outcomes.

The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Paxlovid has been revised to reflect the new prescribing authority given to state-licensed pharmacists. Under this revision, patients must now show health records within the last year, which needs to include bloodwork, as well as a list of their current medications, including any over-the-counter (OTC).

In 2019, the FDA warned that gabapentin might cause serious breathing difficulties when used with drugs that depress the central nervous system. The warning may have not been heeded, as overdose deaths in which gabapentin was detected doubled from 449 in the first quarter of 2019 to 959 in the second quarter of 2020.

In addition to other discoveries, the authors found that reported rates of myocarditis or pericarditis were higher after vaccination with mRNA-1273 (Moderna Spikevax) compared with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty).

In this Q&A, Dr. Vincent Millischer describes the surprising association between lithium clearance and serum lithium as well as the role that genetics may play in helping to determine the proper lithium dosage for each patient.

Levothyroxine, which is the third most popular drug in the US and the main drug used to treat primary hypothyroidism, also possesses clinically significant interactions with food, beverages, and supplements that can change the safety and efficacy of thyroid-hormone replacement therapies. This review article from Pharmaceuticals reviews 925 hypothyroid patients that highlighted “disturbing” lifestyle and diet patterns.