New financial analysis reveals significant savings realized from CYP2C19 testing

Twenty lives and $440,000 over a year. For every 1,000 patients. That’s what CYP2C19 pharmacogenetic testing could save if used to help prescribe clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel or ticagrelor to specific cardiac patients. A budget analysis found that a genotype-guided approach for acute coronary syndrome patients (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for one year saved 20 lives and $444,852 in … Read More

Professor spearheads pharmacogenomics learning program for pharmacists

Professor David Kisor saw a need for more pharmacogenomic education for pharmacists, and he wanted to fill it. Dr. Kisor, PharmD, serves as professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences at Manchester University’s Pharmacy Program, in Fort Wayne, Ind. He’s long been interested in the field of pharmacogenomics, or how individual genetic differences affect drug response, and has written extensively on … Read More

Illinois hospital system launches personalized medicine program

Personalized medicine can mean many things to many people. To the healthcare professionals at NorthShore University HealthSystem, it means a comprehensive approach to patient care that takes into account individual DNA and family medical history. Earlier this year, the four-hospital network in Illinois announced a personalized medicine program that “utilizes an individual’s health history and DNA to better predict, prevent … Read More

YouScript 8.0 brings user-sourced improvements to award-winning personalized prescribing software

  By Sarah Trowbridge Users asked, and YouScript Personalized Prescribing Software delivered. The end of July saw the launch of YouScript 8.0, which brings new features and improvements to software functionality, usability and content based on feedback from the healthcare providers who have made the software part of patient care. The update coincides with a complete redesign of the YouScript … Read More

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: Living with a genetic rarity

Imagine not being able to pick up a pencil without your fingers hurting. Sending a letter, doing a crossword puzzle, these are just a few of the simple tasks that trigger pain in your joints on a regular basis. This can be a reality people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome face every day. Except that this pain often is felt from head to … Read More

Case Report: Common painkiller tied to ER visit, internal bleeding

A young woman’s treatment with a common prescription painkiller for her chronic bladder pain eventually landed her in the emergency room. The 24 year old had started taking the pain reliever celecoxib (Celebrex) for interstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic condition that causes pelvic pain and urinary problems. This syndrome has no cure, with treatment based on trial and error. The … Read More