Pharmacogenomics, or PGx, is the study of how medications work in our bodies based on our genetic makeup.
Each person has a different code and different genome, which means each person has different responses to medications. Pharmacogenomics takes some of the guesswork out of choosing medications for patients by looking at their gene profiles and deciphering how medications will be processed. Combining PGx with other patient factors is the best way to personalize medication and optimize patient outcomes.
“Who can benefit from PGx and what genes affect these medications?
- Patients who have not had an adequate response or treatment failure to psychiatric medications
(varies by lab and may include CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, UGT1A4, UGT2B15) - Patients with cancer that could benefit from targeted therapy agents (EGFR, BRAF, HER2)
- Patients taking clopidogrel (CYP2C19)
- Patients taking warfarin for anticoagulation (CYP2C9 and VKORC1)
- Patients taking statin medications with muscle aches (SLC01B1)
- Patients on HIV therapy, particularly abacavir (HLA-B)
How is PGx Implemented?
- The healthcare team, often the pharmacist, will identify a candidate for PGx testing.
- The provider will write a prescription for the pharmacogenomic test.
- The sample for testing is typically collected using a cheek cell sample via mouth swab.
- Once the sample is collected, it will be sent to a pharmacogenomic lab to be processed.
- The patient will establish an account with the lab so results can be obtained via the lab’s portal.. Access should also be granted by the patient to their healthcare providers.
- Once results are available the healthcare team will assess the data and determine the best approach to optimize the patient’s drug therapy regimen