[A DNA medication pass for everyone?]

Abstract

Pharmacogenetics holds the promise of personalized medicine, resulting in higher effectiveness and fewer adverse effects. Yet, the clinical benefit of a pre-emptive pharmacogenetic test has not been demonstrated rigorously. Recently an open-label real-world implementation study has been published, in which patients were randomized to either genotype-informed treatment (based on a 12-gene pharmacogenetic panel) or standard treatment. The study shows that genotype-informed prescription of different types of medication, i.e., opioids, anticoagulants and antidepressants, leads to a 30% reduction of clinically relevant adverse effects. This result is promising and indicates that genotype-informed treatment improves medication safety. Unfortunately, the influence of genotype-informed treatment on the balance between effectiveness and adverse effects could not be assessed and cost-effectiveness data are pending. Hence, a pharmacogenetic panel and a DNA medication pass for everyone are on the horizon, but not yet there.