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From Procedure to Prescription
COP’s Liao Earns ACCP Student Abstract Award for Study on Statin Dose Modification in Obese Hispanic Patients Post-Gastric Bypass
September 25 — While gastric bypass surgery can help obese patients achieve dramatic weight loss, which is especially important to those with comorbidities such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, the alterations in gastrointestinal physiology also impact how medications and supplements are processed in the body. A study of obese Hispanic patients undergoing the most common weight-loss procedure (Roux en Y Gastric Bypass surgery, or RYGB) by a 91ĆĆ˝â°ć College of Pharmacy Ph.D. student recently was selected for a Student Abstract Award at the 2025 American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) Annual Meeting Sept. 14-16 in Phoenix, Ariz.
The project by Hanyue (Cathy) Liao, titled “Rational Dose Modification of Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin in Obese Patients Post-Gastric Bypass Surgery,” investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of the two commonly prescribed drugs for lowering total cholesterol and reducing risk of heart attack and stroke.
Liao’s project specifically targeted obese Hispanic patients in the Rio Grande Valley region undergoing the procedure that restricts the amount of food a patient can eat. The procedure involves separating the upper and lower portions of the stomach to create a smaller stomach pouch, which restricts the amount of food that can be eaten and provides a sensation of fullness with less.
Liao’s study tracks changes in statin PK (drug concentrations in the body) and PD (clinical outcomes such as lipid levels, weight and blood pressure) at baseline, and at three, six, and 12 months after RYGB surgery. Her project focuses on identifying optimal dosing strategies that improve therapeutic outcomes in this unique—and according to Liao, understudied—patient population.
Liao and colleagues recruited nine Hispanic patients from the DHR Health Institute for Research & Development in Edinburg, Texas, who had undergone or were scheduled to undergo the bypass procedure. Six patients were prescribed atorvastatin (ATV), while three received rosuvastatin (RSV).
Early results suggest ATV-treated patients exhibit marginally greater weight reduction than those on RSV. According to Liao, this is possibly due to the physiological and anatomical changes after surgery, which may lead to higher ATV exposure compared to RSV. However, the project team cautioned that further research is warranted.
These findings underscore the importance of individualized statin dose optimization following bypass surgery. As enrollment and longitudinal monitoring continue, Liao’s research highlights the potential for tailored statin therapy to preserve the benefits of weight loss while preventing under- or overexposure to medication in post-surgical patients.
Liao’s abstract is included in the meeting published within the ACCP journal, Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Development.
Co-authors on the project include Liao’s graduate advisor, Diana S-L Chow, Ph.D., FNAI, Paula & John J. Lovoi Sr. Endowed Professor in Drug Discovery and Development and director of the college’s Institute for Drug Education and Research; Asma El-Zailik, Ph.D. (’19), clinical pharmacist with Vir Biotechnology; Jian Liang, clinical research coordinator in COP’s Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Scott Lillibridge, M.D., executive vice president and CEO for DHR Health Institute for Research & Development; Clarisa C. Medina, clinical research coordinator at DHR Health Institute for Research & Development; Manish Singh, M.D., FACS, chief executive officer of DHR Health System; Lily K. Cheung, Pharm.D., former assistant professor at Texas Southern University; and Vadim Sherman, M.D., FACS, FRCSC, director of bariatric and metabolic surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital.
—&˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;Kristin Marie Mitchener