Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
07:40
A Data Integration Workflow to Identify Drug Combinations Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions
Published on: May 27, 2021
SFINX-a drug-drug interaction database designed for clinical decision support systems
Ylva Böttiger1, Kari Laine, Marine L Andersson
1Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden.
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
|February 12, 2009
Summary
The SFINX database provides crucial drug-drug interaction information for healthcare professionals. This system enhances medication safety by offering timely alerts during prescribing and dispensing.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Drug-drug interactions pose a significant risk in clinical practice.
- Existing systems for managing interaction data require enhancement for seamless integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop the SFINX database for drug-drug interactions.
- To enable integration into clinical decision support systems and web-based solutions.
Main Methods:
- Defined key database elements: substance properties, names, formulations, text structures, and references.
- Established standard operating procedures for literature searches, content creation, and relevance classification.
- Ensured data quality through identification and assurance of ATC codes, CAS numbers, and country-specific codes.
Main Results:
- SFINX database contains over 8,000 interaction pairs.
- Integrated into Swedish and Finnish computerized decision support systems, reaching over 31,000 healthcare professionals.
- User feedback mechanisms are in place for ongoing content improvement.
Conclusions:
- SFINX serves as a valuable tool for immediate drug interaction information.
- Facilitates safer prescribing and dispensing practices through accessible data.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Pharmacokinetics: Drug–Food and Drug–Viral Interactions
A drug interaction occurs when the concurrent use of another drug, food, or an external substance alters the pharmacological activity of a drug. This interaction can modify the action of the original drug, affecting its effectiveness and safety.Drug–food interactions are significant as they impact drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion. For example, grapefruit juice is a well-known disruptor of drug metabolism. It inhibits the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme, crucial for the metabolism of many...
01:30Drug toxicity: Drug–Drug Interaction
Drug–drug interactions can precipitate toxicity through multiple mechanisms. Absorption interactions alter how drugs enter the body, exemplified when ranitidine increases the absorption of basic drugs, while cholestyramine decreases the levels of propranolol. Protein binding interactions occur when drugs share the same binding sites on plasma proteins. Drugs like aspirin and warfarin, when bound in excess, can lead to increased free drug concentrations, enhancing the potential for...
01:25Pharmacokinetics: Drug–Drug Interactions
Drug interactions occur when the pharmacological effect of one drug is altered by another substance, either enhancing or diminishing its activity. The drug whose activity is altered is known as the object drug, and the substance causing the alteration is called the agent drug or the precipitant. The net effects of these interactions are mostly undesirable, leading to decreased effectiveness or increased adverse effects. In rare cases, interactions can be beneficial, such as the enhanced...
01:08Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...
01:23Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Drug Interactions
Drug interactions are a critical aspect of pharmacology and can occur when two or more drugs compete for the same binding site. This competition can result in one drug displacing another, altering the effect of the displaced drug. Drug interactions are complex processes that rely heavily on how much of the displacer drug is present and how strongly it can bind to the same sites as the displaced drug.
Displacement interactions can have varying outcomes, ranging from toxicity to virtually...
Displacement interactions can have varying outcomes, ranging from toxicity to virtually...
01:29Drug-Receptor Interactions
Drug-receptor interaction describes the binding of receptors by drugs, but not all drug-receptor interactions result in activation and tissue response. For instance, the binding of agonists activates the receptor to generate a cellular reaction, while antagonists bind to receptors without causing their activation.
Several parameters, such as the drug's affinity for its receptor and its efficacy, which is its ability to activate the receptor, determine the drug's effect on the tissue.
Several parameters, such as the drug's affinity for its receptor and its efficacy, which is its ability to activate the receptor, determine the drug's effect on the tissue.