Identification of Drugs Acting as Perpetrators in Common Drug Interactions in a Cohort of Geriatric Patients from Southern Italy and Analysis of the Gene Polymorphisms That Affect Their Interacting Potential.

Background: Pharmacogenomic factors affect the susceptibility to drug-drug interactions (DDI). We identified drug interaction perpetrators among the drugs prescribed to a cohort of 290 older adults and analysed the prevalence of gene polymorphisms that can increase their interacting potential. We also pinpointed clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) that incorporate pharmacogenomic factors in DDI risk evaluation.

Methods: Perpetrator drugs were identified using the Drug Interactions Flockhart Table, the DRUGBANK website, and the Mayo Clinic Pharmacogenomics Association Table. Allelic variants affecting their activity were identified with the PharmVar, PharmGKB, dbSNP, ensembl and 1000 genome databases.

Results: Amiodarone, amlodipine, atorvastatin, digoxin, esomperazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole, simvastatin and rosuvastatin were perpetrator drugs prescribed to >5% of our patients. Few allelic variants affecting their perpetrator activity showed a prevalence >2% in the European population: CYP3A4/5*22, *1G, *3, CYP2C9*2 and *3, CYP2C19*17 and *2, CYP2D6*4, *41, *5, *10 and *9 and SLC1B1*15 and *5. Few commercial CDSS include pharmacogenomic factors in DDI-risk evaluation and none of them was designed for use in older adults.

Conclusions: We provided a list of the allelic variants influencing the activity of drug perpetrators in older adults which should be included in pharmacogenomics-oriented CDSSs to be used in geriatric medicine.