Healthcare services organization Novation has awarded an agreement to Seattle-based Genelex to offer pharmacogenetic lab testing and precision medicine solutions.
The solutions are expected to help pharmacists and other healthcare providers improve patient care and reduce health care costs.
Annually, more than 8.6 million adverse drug events are reported in the US pharmacogenetic testing industry, allowing physicians to identify patient drug metabolizing gene variants to determine the appropriateness and dosage of many commonly prescribed drugs.
Genelex’s YouScript Personalized Prescribing Software analyzes genetic data and helps doctors and pharmacists identify patients that will benefit from genetic testing and those at greatest risk for potentially dangerous interactions.
The YouScript software also allows providers to tailor medication regimens based on a patient’s unique DNA in addition to the cumulative impact of all of the medications and herbals they are taking.
Brian Romig, Novation’s vice-president contract and program services, said: “The YouScript software represents the next evolution in medication management for doctors and pharmacists.
“The ability to use a patient’s genetic code to determine drug interactions and assist in medication management will provide the members and affiliates we serve an important tool to ensure patient safety and quality outcomes.”
More than 20 percent of hospital re-admissions are due to adverse drug reactions (a type of adverse drug event, also sometimes simply called a side effect). Some of these are due to individual genetic variations. Given that an estimated 90 percent of the US population has genetic variations that cause drugs to be processed abnormally, the impact of prescribing medications based on pharmacogenetic testing could be enormous.
Kristine Ashcraft, Genelex chief operating officer, added: “With precision, gene-based prescribing, providers can now move beyond the one-size-fits-all prescribing practices of the last century. Using genetic data and the latest clinical knowledge on drug metabolism, YouScript provides instant, clinically-actionable intelligence about the most effective, safest drugs and doses to prescribe – leading to better care, lower costs, and happier patients.”
Novation, Genelex, Brian Romig, Kristine Ashcraft, US
