Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B
ADH1B is the liver enzyme that performs the first step of alcohol breakdown, converting ethanol to acetaldehyde. A common variant (ADH1B*2, rs1229984) carries roughly 40-fold faster activity. It's present in around 70 percent of East Asian and 20 percent of Middle Eastern populations, and is rare in Europeans. The variant is associated with stronger early alcohol effects and a lower lifetime risk of alcohol use disorder.
Gene2Rx reports your ADH1B genotype across 2 named alleles, built from 1 variant curated by PharmVar.
ADH1B alleles are named by the underlying DNA variant rather than a star number — for example c.61C>T describes a single base change at position 61 of the coding sequence.
You inherit one allele from each parent, and the pair determines whether your ADH1B activity is normal, decreased, or absent.
PharmVar is the international registry that curates these names. Gene2Rx tests every variant needed to call each cataloged ADH1B allele.
Gene2Rx covers 1 medication with published pharmacogenetic guidance for ADH1B, drawn from CPIC and FDA sources. Each drug links to its full pharmacogenetics page.
This page lists drugs affected by ADH1B. A Gene2Rx report tells you which metabolizer group you fall into, and what that means for every medication on this list.
Get your report Look up a medicationInformational only, not medical advice. The presence of a ADH1B pharmacogenetic guideline does not mean every patient needs to change their dose. Never start, stop, or change a medication without talking to your prescribing clinician.