Genetic testing to predict how individuals will respond to common medicines should be implemented without delay to reduce the risk of side-effects and ensure that everyone is given the right drug at the right dose, experts have said.
Adverse drug reactions make up 6.5% of UK hospital admissions, while most prescription medicines only work on 30% to 50% of people. Almost 99% of people have at least one genetic variation that affects their response to certain drugs, including commonly prescribed painkillers, heart disease drugs and antidepressants. Most people are taking at least one of these medications by the age of 70.
A report published by the British Pharmacological Society and the Royal College of Physicians argues that many of these issues could be addressed through the use of pharmacogenomic testing.
The ultimate goal is to make pharmacogenomics a reality for everyone within the National Health Service, which will empower healthcare professionals to deliver better, more personalised care.
The aim of pharmacogenomics is to make sure patients get the right drug at the right time, at the right dose, to cure their disease and prevent side-effects.
Some testing is done in the health service. If you have breast or colon cancer, you may be tested to see if you can safely be prescribed 5-fluorouracil.
Other common drugs, such as the painkiller codeine, are known to work better, or cause more side-effects in some patients than others, but doctors do not routinely test them.
8% of the UK population don't have the gene that allows codeine to work properly, meaning they won't get any pain relief from it. One in 500 people are genetically prone to develop hearing loss if they take the antibiotic gentamicin.
The UK is a world leader in genomic medicine and the implementation of a wider range of pharmacogenomic tests would further demonstrate that.
The report provides the blueprint and identifies the resources and actions needed to ensure pharmacogenomics becomes usual care in the National Health Service over the next three years.
He said that reactive testing to investigate why someone isn't responding to their medication, or is experiencing side-effects, could be implemented as soon as next year.
Patients could be offered a once-in-a-lifetime blood or saliva test to predict their responses to multiple drugs and guide their future treatment. It would cost about 150 dollars per person for such testing.
The cost of adverse drug reactions to the National Health Service could be as high as 2 billion. We will be saving a lot of money even if we can prevent 30% of those.
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