SFINX (Swedish, Finnish, INteraction X-referencing) is a drug-drug interaction database containing short, and concise evidence based information concerning consequences of and recommendations for about 18.000 drug interactions. The database can be easily integrated to health information systems or be accessible through portal solution, and can thus readily facilitate the process of safe drug prescribing for the individual patient, as the healthcare professionals will be guided to choose the most appropriate action to handle specific drug interactions. SFINX is the basic tool to handle drug interactions for physicians, pharmacists or nurses. Also, a patient-oriented version is available.
The contents and technical solutions of SFINX are maintained by Medbase Ltd in Turku, Finland, the Karolinska Institute Department of Clinical Pharmacology in Stockholm, and Stockholm County Council, Sweden.
SFINX contains information about relevant pharmacokinetic interactions that can be supported by scientific literature or by clinical studies referred to in drug Summary of the Product Characteristics approved by EMA and/OR FDA. Clinically important pharmacokinetic interactions, which can be foreseen e.g. on the basis of known metabolic pathways have been extrapolated from available evidence. Documented pharmacodynamic interactions are also included, unless they are apparent from the main pharmacological action of the substances, as with e.g. agonists/antagonists to the same receptor. SFINX also covers the clinically relevant drug-food interactions and interactions between natural medicines and drugs.
Interaction texts are based on substance names and, whenever relevant, substance formulations. They are classified according to clinical significance (A-D) and documentation level (0-4), which enables threshold settings for automated warnings. All contents of the database are developed in accordance with documented standard operating procedures assuring high data quality. The information is evaluated and interaction texts are written in English and divided into five different parts: medical consequence, recommendation, mechanism, background and references. Medical consequence and recommendation parts are translated into various languages. All references are, whenever possible, linked to their source, e.g. PubMed abstracts. SFINX is updated four times a year.
