Personalised Medicine (Pharmacogenomics)

Pharmacogenomics looks at how your genetic make-up can affect your response to medications.

There is a great variation in an individual’s response to medication. Anyone currently taking prescribed medication, particularly for a chronic illness, or who may need to take medication in the future may find the test invaluable.

Knowing your unique genetic make-up can help your doctor assess whether a medication is likely to harm you or hurt you before you take it. It helps them determine which medications may be right for you and help them to choose the right dose. This in turn enables your doctor to create a personalised treatment plan, which increases the likelihood of success and reduces the risk of adverse drug reactions or side effects.

Individuals’ responses to medications vary significantly because genes affecting the metabolism of drugs differ from person to person. If you lack a certain gene your body may be unable to break down a corresponding medicine resulting in a build up in the body, causing side effects. Alternatively, if you have an active gene it may lead to the swift breakdown of certain drugs, which means you need a higher dose than others for the medication to be effective.

The medications affected by your genes are numerous. They fall into categories such as cardiovascular, pain, psychiatric and neurological medications as well as anti-coagulates. Once tested, the results will be outlined in your personalised summary report.

The test does not look at current allergies to medicines nor potential allergies or intolerances to them. A blood test needs to be taken to gain this information.
Also, currently it does not test for every single drug on the market.

We send you swabs specifically made for DNA sample collection. You gently rub these inside your cheek for 30 seconds to collect cells containing your genetic information. Once done you seal these in a pre-paid collection envelope and return it to us along with a simple test request and your signed consent form. It’s a very simple process.