Antiarrhythmic drugs require therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to avoid adverse effects such as proarrhythmia. However, TDM is not necessarily used to adjust the dosage of antiarrhythmic drugs because there is a lack of information regarding the therapeutic range of the serum concentration and the selection of patients who require TDM. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the pharmacogenetic information on the pharmacokinetics and drug response of flecainide, a class Ic antiarrhythmic drug with a sodium channel-blocking effect. A population pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that the CYP2D6 genotype was a determining factor of the age-related decline in flecainide clearance. Elderly patients show large interindividual variability of flecainide clearance because they have a more pronounced effect of the CYP2D6 genotype and require more frequent monitoring of serum flecainide concentrations. Carriers of an Asian-specific promoter haplotype B of the cardiac sodium channel gene (SCN5A) more frequently achieve clinically relevant flecainide efficacy even at lower concentrations. This suggests that the therapeutic range of serum flecainide concentrations is lower in SCN5A promoter haplotype B carriers than in the wild-type haplotype A homozygotes. The β1-adrenergic receptor Gly389 polymorphism decreases the antiarrhythmic efficacy of flecainide when co-administered with β-blockers. Carriers of Gly389 with co-administration of β-blockers may not achieve clinically relevant flecainide efficacy even when the serum flecainide concentrations are within the therapeutic range. These findings provide pharmacogenetic information for the effective utilization of TDM in antiarrhythmic drug therapy.
Keywords: CYP2D6 genotype; SCN5A promoter haplotype; antiarrhythmic drug; flecainide; pharmacogenetics; therapeutic drug monitoring.