Genetics Determine Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Drugs
Posted September 17, 2007 by Dr. T.R. Morris
Smoking is considered one of the hardest addictions to break. Ever wonder why some people have an easier time kicking the habit than others? One answer comes from research in a new field of medical research called pharmacogenomics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Read press release here.
This research indicates that people who have a genetic variant of the CYP2B6 gene (which codes for one of the enzymes that metabolize bupropion in the human body) were less likely than those without it to have resumed smoking six months after treatment with bupropion (Zyban). How prevalent is this variant? The good news for smokers is that it is present in 45% of Americans of European descent, 50% of African Americans and 25% of Asian Americans.
Once genetic testing is available for this variant, health care providers may have a better idea of who will respond better to the bupropion and, perhaps more importantly, who will respond best at particular doses.
This is one example of the growing field of pharmacogenetics—which many expect to usher in a new era of medicine where treatments are personalized based on individual genetic profiles. For more information on pharmacogenetics check out the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s Science Primer.
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