Douros Lab

Welcome

I am an Associate Professor at the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Charité in Berlin and Head of the newly-established Douros Lab. The research in our lab focuses on the effectiveness and safety of medications in vulnerable populations, including patients with chronic liver disease, older adults, as well as patients subjected to polypharmacy and at risk of drug-drug interactions. Given the underrepresentation of such populations in randomized controlled trials, our lab aims to provide much needed evidence on the benefit-risk profile of drugs.

For the implementation of our research program, we conduct both hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-testing studies. To this end, we use multiple data sources including spontaneous reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System, German and Canadian administrative healthcare data, and electronic medical records from the United Kingdom. We also collaborate with several experts in the area of real world evidence in Canada, Germany, and Greece. The research in our lab is supported by the German Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Interests

Pharmacoepidemiology
Pharmacovigilance
Clinical Pharmacology
Drug-drug interactions
Vulnerable populations

Education

Postdoc in Pharmacoepidemiology, McGill University
Doctorate Degree (Dr. med.), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Medical Degree, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Publications

You can check out my complete list of publications on PubMed.

To date, my research has resulted in 82 peer-reviewed publications (36 as first author, 17 as senior author). Several of these publications have appeared in top-tier journals including the British Medical Journal (4x), Annals of Internal Medicine, European Heart Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Diabetes Care (7x), Alzheimer’s & Dementia, JACC: Heart Failure, and Neurology. Moreover, my publications have been the subject of 10 editorials.

Below are a few highlights of my published work.

Hepatic safety of direct oral anticoagulants

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are blood thinners that are commonly used to prevent and treat thrombotic disease. An important safety concern with DOACs following market approval was their potential risk of liver injury. To address this safety concern, we conducted a population-based cohort study using healthcare claims data from >50,000 patients living in the Canadian province of Quebec. We found that DOACs were not associated with an increased risk of liver injury (see also Graphical Abstract) when compared to the therapeutic alternative vitamin K antagonists. These findings provided reassurance regarding the hepatic safety of DOACs.

Hypoglycemic safety of sulfonylureas

Sulfonylureas are oral antidiabetic drugs commonly used in the management of type 2 diabetes. Given concerns about the ability of these medications to cause hypoglycemia, we conducted population-based cohort studies using electronic medical records from >25,000 patients seen in general practices in the United Kingdom to assess the risk of this potentially fatal adverse effect associated with sulfonylureas, both as first-line treatments and second-line treatments. Moreover, several studies funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and led by the lab’s trainee Jenny Dimakos focused on the risk of hypoglycemia due to concomitant use of sulfonylureas and warfarin, beta-blockers (see also Graphical Abstract), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, and fluoroquinolones. Taken together, this work has advanced our understanding regarding the overall safety of profile of these commonly used antidiabetic drugs.

Infographic Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors

Safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a newer class of oral antidiabetic drugs used in the management of type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions. In 2020, I was selected to lead an international, multicenter study on their safety. The study was conducted by the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES), one of the largest pharmacoepidemiologic networks in the world. The aim was to assess the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis with SGLT2 inhibitors, an important safety concern according to several regulatory agencies. We observed an almost 3-fold increased risk of this potentially fatal adverse effect with SGLT2 inhibitors (see also Graphical Abstract).

Prof. Dr. med.
Antonios Douros

antonios.douros@charite.de

Associate Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology
Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Welcome

Interests

Education

Experience

Recent and Upcoming Talks

Publications

Hepatic safety of direct oral anticoagulants

Hypoglycemic safety of sulfonylureas

Safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors

Grants, Awards & Distinctions

Research Grants as PI

Personal Salary Awards

Other Personal Awards

Distinctions

Contact · Impressum

Address:

Email:

Prof. Dr. med.Antonios Douros

antonios.douros@charite.de

Associate Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Welcome

Interests

Education

Experience

Recent and Upcoming Talks

Publications

Hepatic safety of direct oral anticoagulants

Hypoglycemic safety of sulfonylureas

Safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors

Grants, Awards & Distinctions

Research Grants as PI

Personal Salary Awards

Other Personal Awards

Distinctions

Prof. Dr. med.
Antonios Douros

Associate Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology
Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin