Gene-based prescribing is here – are providers ready?

Clinicians will increasingly need to interpret pharmacogenetic test results. Approximately 18% of U.S. outpatient prescriptions are influenced by pharmacogenetics1 and pharmacogenetic test panels are increasingly being marketed to both patients and clinicians. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved marketing of 23andMe’s direct-to-consumer test for pharmacogenetic genes.2 Pharmacogenetic tests assess whether patients have genetic variants that may affect drug metabolism and response.