Pharma is dosing drugs wrong – the quantum tunneling correction nobody is using
4 hours ago
- #quantum-tunneling
- #pharmacokinetics
- #drug-dosing
- Current dosing models use classical transition state theory, missing quantum tunneling effects in drug metabolism.
- Quantum tunneling causes faster drug breakdown than predicted, leading to potential undertreatment.
- A simple multiplication by the tunneling coefficient κ corrects classical reaction rates, but is not used clinically.
- Key enzymes like CYP3A4 and MAO-A, vital for many drugs, have significant dosing errors due to ignoring tunneling.
- Specific drugs, including statins, antidepressants, and sedatives, are affected with errors up to -75%.
- Knowledge of tunneling in drug metabolism has been established for over 37 years, yet remains unapplied in dosing models.