AFP - Scientists find gene link predicts blood thinner impact
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US researchers said Wednesday they have found gene variations which predict how a patient will react to the drug warfarin, widely used to prevent blood clotting and treat heart attack victims.
Researchers found that the gene VKORC1 has a key role in predicting how sensitive a patient will be the blood thinning drug in the first week of using the drug — helping doctors deal with the wide variation in responses to the drug.
Studying nearly 300 patients starting therapy with warfarin, the researchers found that variations in VKORC1 can explain why individual patients need greater or smaller doses of the drug to best benefit from it.
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Warfarin, sold under the brand names Coumadin and Jantoven — is used by patients …
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