Monday, January 03, 2005

FDA approves genetics-based lab test that can tailor drug doses Boston Globe story reprinted at PsycPORT - "The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first genetics-based lab test to help physicians personalize their patients' drug doses. The approval hastens a move away from a one-size-fits-all drug dose, offering help to patients with wildly varying responses to such popular drugs as antidepressants and antipsychotics. The AmpliChip Cytochrome P450 genotyping test could reduce toxic side effects experienced by people who process prescription drugs slower than normal. At the same time, the test could personalize doses for hypermetabolizers, who often feel no benefit from standard drug doses. The test is made by Roche Molecular Systems Inc. An agency official expects that more genetic test kits are on the way as the FDA pushes drug companies to embrace cutting-edge science to improve drug safety."