Study to Develop a Reliable Nomogram That Incorporates Clinical and Genetic Information

Summary

In this research study, the investigators are trying to find a better way to set the dose of a common blood-thinning medication. Patients with blood clots or a risk of blood clots (or stroke) sometimes have to take an approved medication called warfarin. Warfarin is a commonly prescribed, approved blood thinning medicine taken by mouth. There is a certain level of warfarin that is best for each patient at a particular time. It is hard for a doctor to choose and maintain the right dose of warfarin for each patient. Too much or too little warfarin in the blood can cause serious health problems. A "nomogram" is a tool that helps doctors decide on the right dose of warfarin. The usual way for finding the right dose of warfarin is for doctors to take an educated guess and use a "trial and error" approach. Patients have frequent blood tests to help doctors keep track of how well the dose level is working. Up until now, if a patient had good blood test results over half of the time, that was as well as doctors could do. The purpose of this study is to see whether the investigators can create a reliable new warfarin nomogram that will allow them to dose a patient correctly more often, perhaps about 3 times out of 4. The nomogram the investigators are studying uses information about a patient's health and genes to decide on the best dose of warfarin. The investigators don't yet have a reliable, safe way to choose the correct dose. In this study, the investigators will use a genetic blood test to try to find a better way. Genes are the parts of each living cell that allow characteristics to be passed on from parents to children. The investigators know that people with certain genes seem to respond to warfarin in a certain way. From a blood sample, the investigators can look at patients' genes and try to predict the response to the blood-thinning medication. There will be about 500 subjects taking part in this study. They will come from participating Partners' Hospitals, including Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Faulkner Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and North Shore Medical Center. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved warfarin for use as a blood thinner.

Timeline

Start

2007-01

Primary completion

2011-06

Completion

2011-06

Publications

• Background Fennerty A, Dolben J, Thomas P, Backhouse G, Bentley DP, Campbell IA, Routledge PA. Flexible induction dose regimen for warfarin and prediction of maintenance dose. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984 Apr 28;288(6426):1268-70. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6426.1268.
• Background Cooper MW, Hendra TJ. Prospective evaluation of a modified Fennerty regimen for anticoagulating elderly people. Age Ageing. 1998 Sep;27(5):655-6. doi: 10.1093/ageing/27.5.655. No abstract available.
• Background Nebert DW, Russell DW. Clinical importance of the cytochromes P450. Lancet. 2002 Oct 12;360(9340):1155-62. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11203-7.
• Background Aithal GP, Day CP, Kesteven PJ, Daly AK. Association of polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 CYP2C9 with warfarin dose requirement and risk of bleeding complications. Lancet. 1999 Feb 27;353(9154):717-9. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)04474-2.
• Background Higashi MK, Veenstra DL, Kondo LM, Wittkowsky AK, Srinouanprachanh SL, Farin FM, Rettie AE. Association between CYP2C9 genetic variants and anticoagulation-related outcomes during warfarin therapy. JAMA. 2002 Apr 3;287(13):1690-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.287.13.1690.
• Background Joffe HV, Goldhaber SZ. Effectiveness and safety of long-term anticoagulation of patients >/=90 years of age with atrial fibrillation. Am J Cardiol. 2002 Dec 15;90(12):1397-8. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(02)02883-7. No abstract available.
• Background Fanikos J, Grasso-Correnti N, Shah R, Kucher N, Goldhaber SZ. Major bleeding complications in a specialized anticoagulation service. Am J Cardiol. 2005 Aug 15;96(4):595-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2005.03.104.
• Background Joffe HV, Xu R, Johnson FB, Longtine J, Kucher N, Goldhaber SZ. Warfarin dosing and cytochrome P450 2C9 polymorphisms. Thromb Haemost. 2004 Jun;91(6):1123-8. doi: 10.1160/TH04-02-0083.
• Background Voora D, Eby C, Linder MW, Milligan PE, Bukaveckas BL, McLeod HL, Maloney W, Clohisy J, Burnett RS, Grosso L, Gatchel SK, Gage BF. Prospective dosing of warfarin based on cytochrome P-450 2C9 genotype. Thromb Haemost. 2005 Apr;93(4):700-5. doi: 10.1160/TH04-08-0542.
• Background Rieder MJ, Reiner AP, Gage BF, Nickerson DA, Eby CS, McLeod HL, Blough DK, Thummel KE, Veenstra DL, Rettie AE. Effect of VKORC1 haplotypes on transcriptional regulation and warfarin dose. N Engl J Med. 2005 Jun 2;352(22):2285-93. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa044503.

Drugs

Indications