New Test for Antidepressant Medication

C-Reactive Protein test via Finger-Prick may hold answers to drug therapy

New blood testing for depression markers is now giving more targeted choice of medication response to people. A test still in the experimentation phase developed by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, focuses on certain protein levels that can be administered via a finger-prick blood test.

The article in the Horizon Scanning Newsletter by the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR), explains that “…C-reactive protein is a measure of inflammation but has also been shown to be a marker for depression. High levels of C-reactive protein in the blood are associated with a greater risk of clinical depression and a poor response to commonly used antidepressant medication…”.