Johns Hopkins Prescription Drugs Health Alert on medication mistakes, the AmpliChip, and St. John’s Wort and how it interacts with Gleevec, used for treating leukemia
Medication Mistakes: Many elderly Americans are taking prescription medications that may be inappropriate. Authors of a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine reviewed a prescription claim database for 765,423 adults (mean age 74 years) for the year 1999. Using a list of 28 medications that experts had linked to a high likelihood of adverse outcomes in older patients, the authors found that 21.2% of the patients filled prescriptions for these medications -- results strongly suggesting that medication use should be closely monitored in the elderly.
AmpliChip: In January 2005, the FDA approved AmpliChip CYP450, the first DNA test to identify variations in the CYP450 gene that affect how rapidly individuals metabolize different medications. This information, gathered from a small blood sample, can help determine whether several common heart medications, antidepressants, chemotherapy agents, and pain medications are likely to be ineffective because of very rapid metabolism of the drug, or cause side effects because the medications is metabolized too slowly. The cost of the AmpliChip test and its coverage by Medicare and other health insurers are still being determined.
St. John’s Wort: Research continues to debunk the notion that herbal remedies are, at their worst, harmless. A recent study found that St. John’s Wort, an herbal product used to treat depression, reduces the effectiveness of Gleevec (imatinib), normally a highly successful therapy in the fight against leukemia. Depression is common in people with cancer and, rather than self-medicate with over-the-counter products, sufferers should talk to their doctors about safe treatment options and be sure to disclose any medications or supplements they are taking.
