Pharmacogenomics, or PGx for short, is the study of how an individual’s genes influence their response to medications. It’s a combination of pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions). Medications are often considered “one size fits all”, but they don’t work the same way for everyone. Researchers have found many genes that can be used to predict the likelihood that a  medication will be effective for a person and whether they are at risk of adverse reactions or side effects. A healthcare provider will be able to use an individual's PGx profile to help choose the drugs and dosages that may be the most effective. 

The myPGx test identifies genetic variants in 24 genes linked to potential drug-gene interactions for 100+ medications across cardiovascular, pain medication, and behavioral health categories.  

You will receive a myPGx kit through the post to the address you provided. The kit will contain all of the instructions you need to carry out the test. You will provide a saliva sample using a convenient sample collection kit from the comfort of your home. Once you return your saliva sample to us and it has been received in the laboratory, your DNA will be extracted from your saliva sample and sequenced. The myPGx test will only look for genetic variants found in the 24 genes within the gene panel. Once your results are ready, our healthcare team will reach out to you to discuss your test results, what they mean, and how to proceed with your provider. After you have communicated with our healthcare team, you will then receive a detailed report containing your results. Your results will also be shared with your provider, who will have access to a LetsGetChecked clinical pharmacist to learn more about your test results and how this information may help inform the way your provider cares for you.

Researchers have found that 99% of people carry at least one variant that influences medication effectiveness or the risk of side effects, so chances are good that you carry at least one important variant. As your DNA sequence does not change, these results can be used to inform relevant treatments for life, whether you are currently taking any medications or not. If you are not currently taking any medications, a myPGx test can give you information that may be important later for your healthcare provider, if it becomes necessary to take medication for a new diagnosis. If you are currently on medications, the results of a myPGx test can guide your healthcare provider in treatment choices and personalize your medication plan. You may be taking a medication that doesn’t work for you, although you’ve tried several others and found they didn’t work for you either, or made you feel sick. A myPGx test may help you and your provider understand why those medications aren’t working for you and help your provider prescribe medications that are more likely to make you feel better. You may be taking many different medications, some of them to manage side effects you’ve experienced from others. A myPGx test may help your provider to choose a regimen that works better for you, with fewer medications. 

There are certain circumstances that may make you ineligible for a myPGx test.  See response to “What would make me ineligible for testing and why?”.

If you have ever received a stem cell, liver, or bone marrow transplant, we are unable to process your sample. These procedures could result in both you and your donor’s DNA being analyzed. This can make the results difficult to interpret or even inaccurate.

For patients undergoing chemotherapy, we ask that you wait at least 4 months until testing. This is because the chemotherapy medications in your body may impact the analysis of your sample, resulting in potentially inaccurate results.

For patients who have recently had a blood transfusion, we ask that you wait at least 6 weeks before testing. This is because patients who have had a blood transfusion will have donor DNA mixed in with their own for a while, so we ask that you wait at least 6 weeks for the donor DNA to be cleared.

No, this test does not detect the presence or absence of any medications in your body and is not affected by any medications you may be taking.

Absolutely not. The information you will learn from the myPGx test can be useful in the future, regardless of whether you’re taking any medications today. If you are not currently taking any medications, the results from a myPGx test can give you information on your genetics that may be important later for your healthcare provider, if it becomes necessary to take medication for a new diagnosis. We recommend keeping your results and sharing with your provider when discussing medications in the future.

We will ask you to list your current medications, if you are taking any, but this information is not required for us to run the test and issue an informative report.

Yes, absolutely! Once your results are ready, our healthcare team will reach out to you to discuss the test, its meaning, and how to proceed with your provider.  We have Pharmacists with specialty pharmacogenomics experience. available to provide consultations to you and your provider. You and your provider can request an appointment at (929)-376-0056.

Your results are also provided directly to your doctor with further information on setting up a consultation with LetsGetChecked. LetsGetChecked has a dedicated staff of Pharmacists with specialty pharmacogenomics experience available to speak with your provider about your current medication regimen, your test results, and whether any changes might be helpful. Your doctor can request an appointment at (929)-376-0056. 

Do not make any changes to any medications or course of treatment at any time without your provider’s advice. 

The myPGx test results are based on your genetic information, which does not change, and are valid for life for the genes that are included on the test. Unlike tests used for monitoring cholesterol, for instance, where you may be tested multiple times, a pharmacogenetic test typically only needs to be taken once, unless you need to be tested separately for a gene that wasn’t covered on your original test.

There is a special exception to this that is important to keep in mind. If you receive a liver transplant, your myPGx test results will no longer be valid. This is because the liver is where most medications are processed, and the donor liver will not have the same genotypes as your own. This is why, if you’ve already had a liver transplant, you are ineligible for the myPGx test.

In a recent study in primary care, the prevalence of adverse drug events was 8.32%, of which up to ~38% of which were preventable. The most common adverse drug events are associated with cardiovascular medications. In 2018, FDA reported that in the hospital setting more than 106,000 patients in the US die because of adverse drug events. It has been suggested that adverse drug reactions are the fourth leading cause of death. The numbers are even higher in outpatient settings. For example, over 350,000 adverse drug events occur in U.S. nursing homes each year. Even more adverse drug events lead to emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Not all medications are impacted by pharmacogenetics, but many of the most frequently prescribed medications are. You can see lists of medications with well established pharmacogenetic associations here and here. As researchers learn more about interactions between medications and our genes, more information may be added or changed.

Some classes of medications have more pharmacogenomic associations than others. For example, many cardiovascular and psychiatric medications have very strong pharmacogenomic associations and are the most frequent cause of adverse effects, treatment failure, and noncompliance (which is when a patient stops taking a medication because it makes them feel even worse).