Results of Tabula Rasa HealthCare’s First Simulated Clinical Study on Proposed COVID-19 Treatments and Therapies is Published

Study results demonstrate an increased risk for adverse drug events in older patients by adding COVID-19 repurposed treatments to current medication regimens

MOORESTOWN, N.J., Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc (TRHC) (NASDAQ: TRHC), a healthcare technology company advancing the field of medication safety, announces TRHC’s Precision Pharmacotherapy Research and Development Institute (PPRDI) published the research article, “Risk of Adverse Drug Events Following the Virtual Addition of COVID-19 Repurposed Drugs to Drug Regimens of Frail Older Adults with Polypharmacy”, in the August 10, 2020 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The article is a result of the first U.S. simulation study conducted in an outpatient setting to assess the estimated risk of adverse drug events (ADEs) with repurposed COVID-19 treatments.

In the study, TRHC’s PPRDI first utilized TRHC’s MedWise technology to determine each patient’s MedWise Risk Score (MRS), which is a predictive tool for adverse drug events (ADEs). Next, five repurposed COVID-19 drugs (or drug combinations) were added, one at a time, to patient drug regimens. The drug combinations included hydroxychloroquine, alone and in combination with azithromycin; chloroquine, alone and in combination with azithromycin; and lopinavir + ritonavir.

“The results of this study validate the science behind our MedWise technology,” states TRHC Chair and CEO Calvin H. Knowlton, Ph.D. “The cumulative multi-drug analysis of MedWise is an essential tool for the medical community to embrace when assessing the risk of introducing therapies that have not been proven in any other clinical setting.”

The study showed an increased MRS for a significant number of participants with all drugs (or drug combinations) due to drug-drug interactions competing for their metabolic pathway and the increased risk for drug-induced Long QT syndrome. Long QT syndrome is a disorder that can cause fast and chaotic heartbeats, triggering a sudden fainting spell, seizure, and in some cases, death. 

“Our study confirms there is a safe way to examine the risks of adding new medications to an individual’s medication regimen, before they are prescribed the drug,” states TRHC’S PPRDI Chief Operating Officer Veronique Michaud, Ph.D. “We looked at the impact of these drugs on the total MedWise Risk Score and each of its components. The results showed which subgroups of patients are at increased risk of toxicity when exposed to one or another COVID-19 repurposed drug used off-label.”