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Many medications, including several of the most commonly prescribed antidepressant types, are substrates for the gene ABCB1, a P-glycoprotein transporter gene most heavily expressed at the blood–brain barrier and shown to be important in determining availability of these psychotropics in the central nervous system. To test the hypothesis that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on this gene may differentially affect treatment response, researchers assessed ABCB1 genotype and drug response in 98 patients taking escitalopram or venlafaxine for major depression in an 8-week Australian trial.
Ethnicity, P450 metabolizer status (determined by CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotypes), and 5-HTTLPR genotype did not differ by ABCB1 genotype. Among escitalop…