New publication provides guidelines for dosing obese patients

A new publication from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is designed to help clinicians determine proper medication doses for obese children and adults.

According to ASHP, Demystifying Drug Dosing in Obese Patients is the first publication focused on dosing critical and narrow therapeutic index drugs in obese patients.

Editor’s Choice: Finding the right dosing for obese pediatric patients

The resource publication summarizes available literature on the subject, including dosing of antimicrobial agents, anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, antiepileptic, antineoplastic, and analgesic medications. It also contains recommendations from experts and sample calculations.

“The sharp growth in obesity rates in the United States heightens the need for clear, evidence-based guidance,” Brandon R. Shank, PharmD, BCOP, a co-editor of the publication, stated in a release.

“It is essential that clinicians have a thorough understanding of the complexities involved in making dosing decisions for obese patients,” he stated. “It is our hope that this guide depicts the existing literature in a way that allows practitioners to apply literature to real-life patient scenarios.”

The publication also addresses dosing critical care and organ transplant patients, plus offers guidance on immunosuppression and medication absorption for patients who have undergone gastric bypass or other bariatric surgeries.

Shank is a clinical pharmacy specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and adjunct clinical assistant professor at Texas Southern University.  His co-editor, David E. Zimmerman, PharmD, BCPS, is an assistant professor of pharmacy at the Mylan School of Pharmacy at Duquesne University and an emergency medicine clinical pharmacist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Mercy Hospital.