The Prevalence of Potential Drug-Drug-Gene Interactions: A Descriptive Study Using Swiss Claims Data.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the prevalence of interactions between PGx drugs metabolized by CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6 and drugs that act as inhibitors or inducers of those enzymes in the Swiss population.

Patients And Methods: We defined concomitant use of PGx drugs and inhibitors/inducers as instances where a claim of a PGx drug and a claim of an inducer or inhibitor concerning the same enzyme were made within a specified temporal window, either ± 5 days or ± 30 days. We assessed concomitant drug use between 2017 and 2021, using claims data from a Swiss insurance company (Helsana).

Emergency contraception in Swiss pharmacies - clients' experiences and needs.

Purpose: This study examines women's experiences and needs regarding oral emergency contraception (EC) counselling and dispensing in Swiss pharmacies, a key service to prevent unplanned pregnancies after unprotected sexual intercourse.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous online survey among women who obtained EC from Swiss pharmacies and performed exploratory descriptive analyses on EC use patterns, expectations, and experiences.

Results: Analysis of 316 questionnaires revealed high overall satisfaction with EC counselling, with 91% of participants understanding the need for consultation.

Generative AI/LLMs for Plain Language Medical Information for Patients, Caregivers and General Public: Opportunities, Risks and Ethics.

Generative artificial intelligence (gAI) tools and large language models (LLMs) are gaining popularity among non-specialist audiences (patients, caregivers, and the general public) as a source of plain language medical information. AI-based models have the potential to act as a convenient, customizable and easy-to-access source of information that can improve patients' self-care and health literacy and enable greater engagement with clinicians. However, serious negative outcomes could occur if these tools fail to provide reliable, relevant and understandable medical information.

Association of Pharmacogenotyping and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Chronic Pain Management.

Background: Chronic pain is a complex condition affecting patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing offers an approach to personalize pain management by optimizing medication regimens. However, the impact of this approach on measurable patient reported outcomes (PROs) remains unexplored.

Utilisation of drugs with pharmacogenetic recommendations in children in Switzerland.

Pharmacogenetics (PGx) is increasingly implemented in the adult population, but its potential in children remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate PGx drug utilization in children in Switzerland, using Helsana claims data between 2017 and 2021. We identified 82 drugs with paediatric guideline annotations associated with variants in 24 genes from the Pharmacogenomics Knowledgebase.

Usefulness of the Screening Tool for AdheRence to medicineS (15-STARS) in clinical practice: Subset-analysis of a multicentric study with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

Introduction: The 15-STARS questionnaire (Screening Tool for AdheRence to medicineS) is a validated self-report screening tool that assesses modifiable determinants of medication non-adherence. It was applied in the 5C-study with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients in Basel, Switzerland during the winters 2022/23 and 2023/24. Its usefulness, defined as data quality, actionability, and accuracy has not yet been fully explored.

Comprehensive Description of an Automated Drug Dispensing System Database.

Medifilm is a company that blisters drug therapies recorded by pharmacists in the Medifilm software. The Medifilm dataset collates this information and provides details on drug substances, dosages, pharmacotherapy duration, the sequence of therapies, as well as demographic data on the patients. This article aims to provide an overview of the database, to describe the contents, and to demonstrate possibilities for researchers.

Impact and Enablers of Pharmacogenetic-Informed Treatment Decisions-A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study Exploring the Patient Perspective.

Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing is a promising approach for optimizing drug therapies. However, there is limited knowledge regarding its real-world utilization and long-term impact in clinical practice. This study assessed how often PGx information informs treatment decisions and evaluated patients' perspectives on its use and non-use, identifying enablers for PGx implementation.

Analgesic therapy failure in a HPS/HPS diplotype carrier heterozygous for the * allele with fibromyalgia-a case report.

Introduction: The cytochrome P450 enzyme 2D6 (CYP2D6) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme are involved in catecholamine metabolism, potentially influencing pain modulation. Catechol-O-methyltransferase has 3 major haplotypes related to pain sensitivity: low (LPS), average (APS), and high (HPS). However, the reliability of these haplotypes in predicting clinical outcomes is not well investigated.

Pharmacogenetic Testing in the Outpatient Setting in Switzerland: A Descriptive Study Using Swiss Claims Data.

Background: In Switzerland, consumers are exposed to drugs with pharmacogenetic (PGx) recommendations in 78% of cases. Pre-emptive PGx testing for seven drugs (abacavir, carbamazepine, 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine, 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, and irinotecan) has been covered by basic health insurance since 2017. PGx testing for other drugs is only covered if it is reactive and prescribed by a clinical pharmacologist.

A systematic review of outcomes reported in studies to optimise the medication use of patients at hospital discharge.

Introduction: Care transitions, specifically hospital discharge, hold a risk for drug-related problems and medication errors. Effective interventions that optimise medication use during and after transitions are needed, yet there is no standardisation of the outcomes. This literature review aimed at collecting outcomes from studies investigating how to optimise medication use of patients following hospital discharge, and to categorise them, as a first step in the development of a core outcome set.

Associations between (pharmaco-)genetic markers and postoperative pain after inguinal hernia repair - a prospective study protocol.

Background: Postoperative pain is a common complication following surgery, with severity and duration varying between patients. Chronic postoperative pain after inguinal hernia surgery has an incidence rate of approximately 10%. Risk factors for acute and chronic pain following hernia surgery include age, sex, psychosocial factors, and demographic background.

Pharmacogenotyping disproves genetic cause of drug-related problems in family history: a case report.

Background: In clinical practice, family medication history is not routinely assessed as part of a patient's family health history (FHH). The information is self-reported and can depend on the individual's subjective perception. To illustrate how pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing results could be used to validate self-reported family medication history on drug-related problems (DRP), as well as to inform medication-related decisions, we herein present a case involving ten members of the same family.

Concordance between pharmacy dispensing and electronic monitoring data of direct oral anticoagulants - A secondary analysis of the MAAESTRO study.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants are the preferred treatment for stroke patients with atrial fibrillation. Pharmacy dispensing data represent a practical method to identify suboptimal medication adherence.

Objective: This study investigates whether pharmacy dispensing data are indicative of real-life adherence behavior, using data from 130 patients in the MAAESTRO study (2018-2022) in Basel, Switzerland.

Overcoming Barriers: Strategies for Implementing Pharmacist-Led Pharmacogenetic Services in Swiss Clinical Practice.

There is growing evidence that pharmacogenetic analysis can improve drug therapy for individual patients. In Switzerland, pharmacists are legally authorized to initiate pharmacogenetic tests. However, pharmacogenetic tests are rarely conducted in Swiss pharmacies.

Recurrent high creatine kinase levels under clozapine treatment - a case report assessing a suspected adverse drug reaction.

Suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) during treatment with clozapine often prompt therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in clinical practice. Currently, there is no official recommendation for pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing in the context of clozapine therapy. In this case report, we demonstrate and discuss the challenges of interpreting PGx and TDM results highlighting the possibilities and limitations of both analytical methods.

Medication adherence to inflammatory bowel disease medications in Aotearoa New Zealand and correlation with health outcomes: A nationwide database analysis.

Aims: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management entails long-term medication therapy. Worse disease outcomes and reduced quality of life might arise from poor medication adherence (MA). This study is the first to investigate patients with IBD's adherence across Aotearoa New Zealand and its relationship with disease outcomes.

Relationship between electronically monitored adherence to direct oral anticoagulants and ischemic or hemorrhagic events after an initial ischemic stroke-A case control study.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a high risk for recurrent clinical events after an ischemic stroke. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are prescribed for secondary prevention. Adherence to DOAC is crucial mainly because of their short elimination half-life.

Inconclusiveness of psychometric testing of medication adherence questionnaires.

Purpose: To propose a paradigm change for the validation procedures of medication adherence questionnaires.

Methods: A total of 121 validation procedures of unique questionnaires for medication adherence were analyzed.

Results: "Construct validity" and "internal consistency" were most often assessed, and test results varied largely.

Information in summaries of product characteristics about use in children is limited and needs standardisation: a systematic analysis in Switzerland.

Background: A considerable proportion of drugs administered to children are not authorised for this purpose, and consequently off-label use is common in paediatric care. Our aims were to quantify systematically the number of drugs authorised in Switzerland for use in children based on their current summary of product characteristics (SmPC) and to assess the quality of this information.

Methods: We used natural language processing to screen all Swiss SmPCs, available in German language in the open-source drug database, for information about use in children.

Clinical relevance and implementation into daily practice of pharmacist-prescribed medication for the management of minor ailments.

Autonomous pharmacist prescribing was legally introduced in Switzerland in 2019 with the reclassification from prescription medication to pharmacist prescribing of 105 medications for sixteen indications. Its aim was to limit medical consultations and healthcare costs. To evaluate the clinical relevance of the pharmacy prescribing medications compared to the over-the-counter medications (OTCs) and to evaluate its implementation into daily practice.