What is Pharmacogenomics (PGx)?

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how a patient’s genetic makeup contributes to a positive therapeutic outcome and/or adverse reactions to prescribed medications. Using pharmacogenomics, clinicians can customize treatment plans that minimize adverse side effects or dangers.

Pharmacogenomics provides insights that help physicians prescribe a drug regimen with a higher probability of a positive outcome.

Get the RIGHT dose of the RIGHT drug at the RIGHT time.

Better and safer drugs the first time

Instead of the standard trial-and-error method of matching patients to the correct drugs, doctors will be able to analyze their genetic profile and prescribe the best available drug therapy from the start. This will not only take the guesswork out of finding the right medication, but it will speed recovery time and increase safety as the likelihood of adverse reactions is eliminated.

More accurate methods for determining appropriate drug doses

Current methods of basing doses on weight and age will be replaced by doses based on a person’s genetics; how well the body processes the drug and how long it takes to metabolize it. This will maximize the value of the therapy and decrease the likelihood of overdose.

Not all medications work for everyone…

Many medications that are currently available are “one size fits all”; but they don’t work the same way for everyone. It can be difficult to predict who will benefit from a drug, who will not respond at all, and who will experience negative side effects (called adverse drug reactions). Adverse drug reactions are a major cause of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States.

Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR)

According to the Institute of Medicine

There are more than 2.2 million preventable ADR hospitalizations per year

There are more than 106,000 preventable ADR deaths per year

There are more than 350,000 nursing home ADRs per year

What are the chances of an ADR?

The more drugs a patient is taking, the greater the chance of an ADR.

Patients taking more than 11 medications have a 96% chance of experiencing ADR.

Using knowledge gained from the Human Genome Project, researchers are learning how inherited genetic differences affect the body’s response to drugs. These genetic differences will be used to predict whether a drug will be effective for a particular person and to help prevent adverse drug reactions.

A simple non-invasive pharmacogenomic buccal swab test is a unique test that can improve or even save your life!