New and Improved High-Risk PGx Drug Charts!

Being on the cutting-edge of precision medicine is a very exciting place to be! Everyone wants to unlock the potential and implement precision medicine initiatives. The excitement is contagious. We see the demand for this new science outpacing the research that supports it. And we constantly hear that the evidence-base is changing rapidly, but also not quickly enough. So where do we begin?

Here at YouScript, we would argue that a good place to start is by implementing pharmacogenetics (PGx). There are well-recognized, reputable groups out there supporting PGx such as the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC), the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); so that we can all start to benefit from this new science right away. These organizations represent the standard-of-care in PGx by evaluating literature, developing dosing guidelines and submitting peer-reviewed publications.

Unless you have spent a great deal of time reading about PGx, odds are you have some questions. The two questions we get asked most frequently, from both patients and providers alike, are “What tests should I order?” and “How do I know what medications are affected by these test results?” Historically, we have always pointed to our state-of-the-art YouScript software as the best tool for interpretation. This interactive clinical decision support (CDS) tool looks at each patient’s complete drug list and phenotype results to evaluate the impact of drug-drug, drug-gene, and cumulative interactions in real-time.

However, we also understand that not all patients and providers have the time to use the YouScript software, and as a result we frequently receive requests for drug-gene charts that can be used in a pinch for a quick overview of what PGx interactions can be expected.

In response to your requests, we have published a list of the High Risk PGx Drug Charts that can be found in the YouScript software. Two versions of this chart are available: one sorted by major drug specialties and the other sorted alphabetically by generic drug name. Included in these charts are the drug-gene pairs, the worst-case-scenario overall impact rating for the interaction, and any available guidelines form the aforementioned organizations. Notably, the overall impact of the minor interactions can increase in severity to moderate or major interactions in the presence of additional drugs and phenotypes, which can only be unveiled through the YouScript software.

Nonetheless, we hope you will find these charts a helpful reference in interpreting PGx results and predicting potential interactions!