Use of Drug Claims Data and a Medication Risk Score to Assess the Impact of CYP2D6 Drug Interactions among Opioid Users on Healthcare Costs.

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) activity is highly variable due to several factors, including genetic polymorphisms and drug-drug-gene interactions. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine, and tramadol the most commonly prescribed CYP2D6-activated opioids for pain. However, the co-administration of CYP2D6 interacting drugs can modulate CYP2D6-medicated activation of these opioids, affecting drug analgesia, effectiveness, and safety, and can impact healthcare costs.

Quantifying Anticholinergic Burden and Sedative Load in Older Adults with Polypharmacy: A Systematic Review of Risk Scales and Models.

Background: Patients taking medication with high anticholinergic and sedative properties are at increased risk of experiencing poor cognitive and physical outcomes. Therefore, precise quantification of the cumulative burden of their drug regimen is advisable. There is no agreement regarding which scale to use to simultaneously quantify the burden associated with medications.

Association of the MedWise Risk Score with health care outcomes.

Objectives: Older patients are especially vulnerable to drug-related problems due to multiple prescription drugs, which increases their risk of drug-drug interactions and adverse drug events (ADEs). This study aimed to examine outcomes associated with the MedWise Risk Score (MRS) in a Medicare Part D population, including total medical expenditures, ADEs, falls, mortality, emergency department (ED) visits, hospital admissions, and length of stay (LOS).

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Classification and Assessment of Medication Risk in the Elderly (CARE): Use of a Medication Risk Score to Inform Patients' Readmission Likelihood after Hospital Discharge.

Existing risk tools that identify patients at high risk of medication-related iatrogenesis are not sufficient to holistically evaluate a patient's entire medication regimen. This study used a novel medication risk score (MRS) which holistically evaluates medication regimens and provides actionable solutions. The main purpose of this study was to quantify adults ≥ 65 years with a high medication risk burden using the MRS and secondarily, appraise MRS association with hospital readmission.

Longitudinal Association of a Medication Risk Score With Mortality Among Ambulatory Patients Acquired Through Electronic Health Record Data.

The use of electronic health records allows for the application of a novel medication risk score for the rapid identification of ambulatory patients at risk of adverse drug events. We sought to examine the longitudinal association of medication risk score with mortality. This retrospective cohort study included patients whose data were available through electronic health records from multiple health care organizations in the United States that provided data as part of a Patient Safety Organization.

Adverse drug event risk assessment by the virtual addition of COVID-19 repurposed drugs to Medicare and commercially insured patients' drug regimens: A drug safety simulation study.

Drug safety is generally established from clinical trials, by pharmacovigilance programs and during observational phase IV safety studies according to drug intended or approved indications. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of potential adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with drugs repurposed for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment in a large-scale population. Drug claims were used to calculate a baseline medication risk score (MRS) indicative of ADE risk level.

Risk of Adverse Drug Events Following the Virtual Addition of COVID-19 Repurposed Drugs to Drug Regimens of Frail Older Adults with Polypharmacy.

Determination of the risk-benefit ratio associated with the use of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) repurposed drugs in older adults with polypharmacy is mandatory. Our objective was to develop and validate a strategy to assess risk for adverse drug events (ADE) associated with COVID-19 repurposed drugs using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ), alone or in combination with azithromycin (AZ), and the combination lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r). These medications were virtually added, one at a time, to drug regimens of 12,383 participants of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.