If a Medication is Likely to Cause You Harm or Offer No Benefit - Wouldn't You Want to Know?

The most frequently prescribed medications for older adults in the US, Canada and Australia are:

• Statins, (atorvastatin/Lipitor, rosuvastatin/Crestor, simvastatin/Zocor)

• Anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs such as celecoxib/Celebrex, lornoxicam, meloxicam/Mobic, piroxicam/Feldene, tenoxicam)

• Proton-pump inhibitors (dexlansoprazole/Dexilant, omeprazole/Prilosec, lansoprazole/Prevacid, pantoprazole/Protonix)

  
  

A recent study demonstrated that nearly 30% of patients prescribed statins carry an actionable genetic variation necessitating a dose adjustment or alternative medication to mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are often used to manage chronic or acute pain symptoms. Approximately 14% of patients taking NSAIDs were found to possess a genetic variation placing them at risk of toxicities including GI, renal and cardiovascular adverse events.

Nearly 8% of those taking proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) possess a genetic variation affecting the clearance of PPIs, which may be associated with reduced therapeutic benefit.

The prevalence of genetic variations and the frequency of use of medications associated with actionable recommendations and guidelines - supports the consideration of pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing prior to initiating medications.

If a medication has the potential to cause harm or offers no clinical benefit - wouldn't you want to know?

Preemptive PGx testing informs the prescribing and optimization of medications such that they are more likely to provide benefit and less likely to cause harm.