Applying Pharmacogenetic Algorithms to Individualize Dosing of Warfarin
Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether DNA analysis improves the efficiency of dosing and safety in patients who are being started on warfarin therapy.Warfarin, a blood thinner (anticoagulant) prescribed to 1-2 million patients in the United States, is a leading cause of drug-related adverse events (e.g., severe bleeding), in large part due to dramatic (20-fold) differences between individuals in dose requirements. At least half of this variability now can be explained by 3 common genetic variants, age, body size, and sex; however, warfarin therapy continues to begin with the same dose in every patient with the correct individual dose determined by trial and error. This study proposes to determine genetic variations the same day from DNA simply obtained by swabbing the inside of the cheek and use this information to determine the proper dose regimen individually in each patient. The aim is to show that the investigators can achieve more rapid, efficient, and safe dosing in up to 500-1000 individuals who are initiating warfarin therapy for various clotting disorders across a large healthcare system in order to demonstrate improved dosing effectiveness, efficiency, and safety with genetic-based dosing, which could lead to a nationwide application resulting in as much as a $1 billion dollar annual benefit in healthcare outcomes.
Timeline
- Start
- 2008-08
- Primary completion
- 2010-12
- Completion
- 2011-06
Drugs
| Evaluation | Drug | Modality | Dose | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparator | Warfarin | Small molecule | — | Oral |