Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Methadone — long used to treat pain and addiction — can be lethal if it lingers too long in the body. People metabolize the drug differently, and researchers have not completely understood how a person’s genetic makeup influences how slowly or rapidly methadone is cleared. But new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified genetic subtypes in people that govern methadone clearance, findings that could help prevent some of the 5,000 methadone-related deaths that occur each year in the United States. METHADONE IS A VERY GOOD TREATMENT FOR MULTIPLE FORMS OF PAIN, BUT IT CAN BE A DIFFICULT DRUG TO USE EFFECTIVELY. RESEARCHERS AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ST. LOUIS SAY ONE REASON IS THAT PEOPLE CLEAR METHADONE FROM THEIR SYSTEMS AT VERY DIFFERENT RATES, SO SOME PEOPLE CAN END UP WITH TOO MUCH OF THE DRUG IN THEIR SYSTEMS, WHILE OTHERS DON’T GET ENOUGH. AND THEY SAY ONE REASON FOR THAT INVOLVES GENETIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE. JIM DRYDEN REPORTS… METHADO