There are several inherent reasons to consider pharmacogenomic genetic testing. Drugs are metabolized slowly in individuals carrying different phenotypes that cause absent or decreased enzyme activity, and these patients are at risk for adverse drug reactions or therapeutic failure.

Nonetheless, drug therapy could be effective if the drug is metabolized too quickly because of a polymorphism. Knowledge of these polymorphisms before beginning a drug therapy could help in choosing the right agent at a safe dosage, especially those drugs with a narrow therapeutic index and a high risk for the development of adverse drug reactions.

Liver enzymes responsible for drug metabolism and proteins that determine the cellular response to drugs (receptors)are encoded by genes, and can, therefore, be variable in expression, activity level and function when genetic variations are present.

In a review of adverse drug reactions in the United States, more than 50% of the drugs cited are metabolized by at least one enzyme with poor-functioning alleles.

Before any medication is prescribed, it is imperative today that genetic testing is performed to determine if the patient has or doesn’t own certain CYP450 enzymes. Knowing whether a patient carries any of these variations may help healthcare professionals individualize drug therapy, decrease the number of adverse drug reactions and increase the effectiveness of drugs. Get to your doctor and get tested. If he needs more information, have them contact us for further direction.