The prevalence of pharmacogenetic testing in the United States

Abstract

It is unknown how many people in the US have had pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing and whether people want to be tested. We conducted a nationally representative survey of the general US adult population to determine the prevalence of adults that have had PGx testing using a validated confidential online survey, the Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs Program. A weighted logistic regression was used to test health characteristics associated with PGx testing and determine those who desire to be tested. The analysis included 29 146 individuals who completed the survey, which represents approximately 260 000 000 adults in the US. The prevalence of US adults who have been PGx tested is 6.6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.2-7.0]. Only 32.2% (95% CI: 31.5-32.9), an estimated 79 million individuals, desired PGx testing. Adults who had or want PGx testing were more likely to be female, have higher education, be students, current or former members of the military, use medications, and have a mental health disorder. The prevalence of adults who have been PGx tested remains low in the US. There are knowledge gaps about the benefits of PGx testing that must be bridged to increase implementation.

Keywords: barriers; mental health; pharmacogenetics; pharmacogenomics; prevalence.

Fig. 1

Odds of having been PGx tested and wanting or not wanting to have PGx testing by condition. Odds ratio of being in each testing group shown compared with not being in that group (reference) stratified by testing group. CI, confidence interval; DAST-10, Drug Abuse Screening Test 10; GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7; PGx, pharmacogenetic; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire 9; PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder.