Pharmacogenetic evaluation to assess breakthrough psychosis with aripiprazole long-acting injection: a case report

The pharmacogenetics of the new-generation antipsychotics - A scoping review focused on patients with severe psychiatric disorders

Exploring the possible correlations between gene variations and the clinical effects of the new-generation antipsychotics is considered essential in the framework of personalized medicine. It is expected that pharmacogenetic data will be useful for increasing the treatment efficacy, tolerability, therapeutic adherence, functional recovery, and quality of life in patients with severe psychiatric disorders (SPD). This scoping review investigated the available evidence about the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenetics of five new-generation antipsychotics, i.e., cariprazine, brexpiprazole, aripiprazole, lumateperone, and pimavanserin. Based on the analysis of 25 primary and secondary sources and the review of these agents' summaries of product characteristics, aripiprazole benefits from the most relevant data about the impact of gene variability on its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, with significant consequences on this antipsychotic's efficacy and tolerability. The determination of the CYP2D6 metabolizer status is important when administering aripiprazole, either as monotherapy or associated with other pharmacological agents. Allelic variability in genes encoding dopamine D2, D3, and serotonin, 5HT2A, 5HT2C receptors, COMT, BDNF, and dopamine transporter DAT1 was also associated with different adverse events or variations in the clinical efficacy of aripiprazole. Brexpiprazole also benefits from specific recommendations regarding the CYP2D6 metabolizer status and the risks of associating this antipsychotic with strong/moderate CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 inhibitors. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommendations about cariprazine refer to possible pharmacokinetic interactions with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers. Pharmacogenetic data about cariprazine is sparse, and relevant information regarding gene-drug interactions for lumateperone and pimavanserin is yet lacking. In conclusion, more studies are needed to detect the influence of gene variations on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of new-generation antipsychotics. This type of research could increase the ability of clinicians to predict favorable responses to specific antipsychotics and to improve the tolerability of the treatment regimen in patients with SPD.

Pharmacogenomics of medications given via nonconventional administration routes: a scoping review

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) implementation has become increasingly widespread. One of the most important aspects of this implementation process is the development of appropriate clinical decision support (CDS). Major PGx resources, such as the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium, provide valuable recommendations for the development of CDS for specific gene–drug pairs but do not specify whether the administration route of a drug is clinically relevant. It is also unknown if PGx alerts for nonorally and non-intravenously administered PGx-relevant medications should be suppressed to reduce alert fatigue. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify studies and their clinical, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic outcomes to better determine if CDS alerts are relevant for nonorally and non-intravenously administered PGx-relevant medications. Although this scoping review identified multiple PGx studies, the results of these studies were inconsistent, and more evidence is needed regarding different routes of medication administration and PGx.

Pharmacogenomic Characterization in Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

The holistic approach of personalized medicine, merging clinical and molecular characteristics to tailor the diagnostic and therapeutic path to each individual, is steadily spreading in clinical practice. Psychiatric disorders represent one of the most difficult diagnostic challenges, given their frequent mixed nature and intrinsic variability, as in bipolar disorders and depression. Patients misdiagnosed as depressed are often initially prescribed serotonergic antidepressants, a treatment that can exacerbate a previously unrecognized bipolar condition. Thanks to the use of the patient's genomic profile, it is possible to recognize such risk and at the same time characterize specific genetic assets specifically associated with bipolar spectrum disorder, as well as with the individual response to the various therapeutic options. This provides the basis for molecular diagnosis and the definition of pharmacogenomic profiles, thus guiding therapeutic choices and allowing a safer and more effective use of psychotropic drugs. Here, we report the pharmacogenomics state of the art in bipolar disorders and suggest an algorithm for therapeutic regimen choice.

Integrating pharmacogenetic testing into primary care

Introduction

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing has greatly expanded due to enhanced understanding of the role of genes in drug response and advances in DNA-based testing technology development. As many primary care visits result in a prescription, the use of PGx testing may be particularly beneficial in this setting. However, integration of PGx testing may be limited as no uniform approach to delivery of tests has been established and providers are ill-prepared to integrate PGx testing into routine care.

Areas covered

In this paper, the readiness of primary care practitioners are reviewed as well as strategies to address these barriers based on published research and ongoing activities on education and implementation of PGx testing.

Expert Commentary

Widespread integration of PGx testing will warrant continued education and point-of-care decisional support. Primary care providers may also benefit from consultation services or team-based care with laboratory medicine specialists, pharmacists, and genetic counselors.