Optimising Warfarin Treatments for Chinese Patients

Warfarin is a commonly prescribed oral blood thinner used for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic conditions. The wide variability in these conditions, that may range from deep vein thrombosis to heart valve replacement, adds to the complexity in determining dosing requirements among patients. Dr Jiexin Deng and colleagues at Zhengzhou Cardiovascular Hospital and Huaihe Hospital of Henan University in China have investigated the suitability of various pharmacogenetic algorithms based on different ethnicities to assist with warfarin dosing for the Chinese population, hoping to improve clinical outcomes and reduce the incidence of unwanted side effects.