Adverse Events of Antipsychotics and Cytochrome Polymorphisms: A Case Series on 31 Patients

Adverse events (AEs) contribute to poor outcome in patients affected by mental disorders. The aim of this case series is to describe how many antipsychotics-associated serious AEs could have been prevented if we had known in advance the genetic profile of the patient.

Data of patients who required the prescription of an antipsychotic drug, with a history of a documented antipsychotics-associated serious AE and who underwent Neuropharmagen® test were retrospectively collected.

Thirty-three subjects were selected for eligibility; two of them were excluded. Twelve subjects (38.7%) showed genetic polymorphisms most likely associated to an increased risk of AE, with pharmacokinetic variations being the most prevalent. Moreover, the 35.5% of the total sample revealed drug-drug interactions (pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic) associated with increased risk of AE.

This case series highlights how pharmacogenetics testing with decision support tools, if applied earlier during the treatment with antipsychotics, could have led to identifying individuals at risk for serious AEs.