Metformin Pharmacogenomics

Metformin is a first line therapy for type 2 diabetes, and is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.   We have recently written a Metformin Pathways Summary that is published in Journal Pharmacogenetics and Genomics.

Metformin effectively lowers both basal and postprandial plasma glucose. However, the glycemic response to metformin is quite variable. Some patients respond extremely well while others show no benefit to therapy. The role of genetics in predicting response to metformin has been the subject of much research. Multiple studies have reported associations between genomic variations of metformin transporters and its pharmacokinetics (PK) and response, and a few have explored the role of pharmacodynamic (PD) genes/variants in drug efficacy. This summary briefly reviews the pharmacokinetics of metformin and highlights genes and variants modulating the diverse pharmacological responses to metformin treatment. Knowledge of the PK and PD pathways of the drug may help identify genetic markers predicting variation in response as well as aid the personalization of metformin therapy.

Find out more...

View our Metformin PK and PD Pathways on PharmGKB.

Read our new Metformin Pathways: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics publication.
Metformin Pathways: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, Gong L and Goswami S (co-first authors), Giacomini  KM, Altman RB, Klein TE. Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2012

View all pathways on PharmGKB.