An ultrarapid metabolizer (UM) is a drug metabolism phenotype that describes the ability to metabolize a drug at much faster rates than expected. The term was originally created for individuals who carry an allele of CYP2D6 with two or more functional gene copies, which results in increased enzyme protein being expressed in the liver. This condition can lead to lack of response and therapeutic failure, e.g. during treatment with antidepressants that are CYP2D6 substrates. Reliable prediction of the UM phenotype is not possible based on the genotype alone but requires phenotype determination using a probe drug.
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© 2004 Springer-Verlag
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(2004). Ultrarapid Metabolizer. In: Encyclopedic Reference of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29832-0_1702
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29832-0_1702
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42843-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29832-8
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