{
  "patent_number": "US 6355623",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Personalized Dosing for Crohn's Disease Drugs Using Blood Tests",
  "original_title": "Method of treating IBD/Crohn's disease and related conditions wherein drug metabolite levels in host blood cells determine subsequent dosage",
  "summary": "A method for adjusting doses of inflammatory bowel disease medication by measuring specific drug metabolites in a patient's red blood cells to maximize effectiveness while avoiding side effects.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a way to personalize the dosage of thiopurine drugs, like 6-mercaptopurine, used to treat conditions like Crohn's disease. Instead of using a standard dose for everyone, doctors measure the concentration of two specific metabolites, 6-thioguanine and 6-methyl-mercaptopurine, within the patient's red blood cells. If 6-thioguanine levels are too low, the drug may not be effective, signaling a need to increase the dose. Conversely, if 6-thioguanine or 6-methyl-mercaptopurine levels are too high, it indicates a risk of toxicity, such as liver damage or blood cell suppression, and the dose should be reduced.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the chemical synthesis or manufacturing of the drugs themselves.",
    "Does not cover diagnostic methods that measure drug levels in tissues other than blood cells.",
    "Does not cover dosing strategies for non-gastrointestinal immune-mediated disorders.",
    "Does not cover the use of genetic testing to predict drug metabolism."
  ],
  "filed": "1999-04-08",
  "granted": "2002-03-12",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint Justine",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/centre-hospitalier-universitaire-saint-justine",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Ernest G. Seidman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ernest-g-seidman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yves Théorêt",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yves-thort"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 75,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "pharmaceutical"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present invention provides a method of optimizing therapeutic efficacy and reducing toxicity associated with 6-mercaptopurine drug treatment of an immune-mediated gastrointestinal disorder such as inflammatory bowel disease. The method of the invention includes the step of determining the level of one or more 6-mercaptopurine metabolites in the patient having an immune-mediated gastrointestinal disorder.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6355623/spinraza-nusinersen",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6355623/spinraza-nusinersen/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US6355623",
  "relatedPatents": []
}