How does pharmacogenetic information help me?

One of the main problems facing pharmacology is the great variety of responses after administration of the same drug at the same dose. Pharmacogenetic information makes it possible to prescribe the right medicine for each person, thus avoiding unnecessary side effects, allowing dose adjustments if required and selecting the drug that is most effective for each person depending on their genetics.

Pharmacogenetics is the key to the implementation of personalized medicine.

The pharmacogenetics items are divided into “Metabolization” and “Response” for each drug.

Genetic variants that affect the tolerability and efficacy of drugs are widely represented in the global population, so that some people find that some drugs work well for them while others find that they have no effect or even cause side effects. Pharmacogenetics can minimize the risk of side effects and maximize the likelihood of drug efficacy.

The genetic variants in the metabolization genes that a person presents allow us to determine if the drug will produce side effects and then the doctors can adjust the recommended dose. These variants are found in the genes that metabolize drugs in the liver, and a person can be a Normal Metabolizer (EM), Poor Metabolizer (PM) ortUltrafast Metabolizer (UM) for each drug. Being a Poor Metabolizer indicates that the person presents some genetic variants that make the metabolization gene of that drug work poorly and therefore it accumulates for longer in the body, which may lead to side effects; in these cases, it is recommended to reduce the dose or change medication. Being Ultrafast Metabolizer can produce the opposite effect, being convenient to increase the doses or change the treatment.

The genetic variants of “Response” are present in the target genes of the drug and allow us to know if that drug is going to be effective or not for each person, allowing the doctors to decide if a change in the medication would be advisable.

Pharmacogenetics is undoubtedly one of the most immediate and important benefits that arise from obtaining your results. Furthermore, the information provided is based on the recommendations made by the FDA, the EMA and other prestigious pharmacogenetics institutions, such as the CPIC (“Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium”).