Drug Topics: The News Magazine for Pharmacists interviews Dr. Valdes and Dr. Linder about the CYP2C19 gene as an indicator of Plavix sensitivity.

On March 12, FDA added a boxed warning to the clopidogrel label, highlighting “reduced effectiveness in patients who are poor metabolizers of Plavix” and encouraging physicians to consider another product and/or to test their patients for the biomarker before prescribing the drug.

The drive to incorporate pharmacogenetic information into diagnosis and treatment will come, ultimately, from physicians.

Although controversy over retail genetic testing for consumers has been in the spotlight lately, Mark Linder, PhD, vice president and co-founder of PGXL laboratories, said, “We believe genetic testing needs to be ordered and authorized by a physician,” adding that this “keeps the physician at the center of patient care.”

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