For people with mental health conditions, finding a medication that works without causing severe side effects is often a matter of trial-and-error. This can contribute to a lower adherence to treatment regimens and poorer health, as well as increased costs to the health care system.
Pharmacogenomics can improve a person’s health by helping them know ahead of time whether a drug is likely to be an effective treatment and be safe for them to take without triggering an adverse reaction. This is one of the strongest examples to show how precision health holds real potential to end the “trial-and-error” approach to therapy.
However, there are still many questions to be answered before there can be wider adoption of pharmacogenomic testing in a clinical setting. In a new $1.5 million project, supported by funding from Genome BC, Genome Canada and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, University of British Columbia researchers, Dr. Stirling Bryan and Dr. Jehannine Austin, are investigating if pharmacogenomic testing should be routinely used in BC for people with depression.
“Our goal is to gather the necessary information to assess the improvement in patient health, as well as whether the testing is good value for money for the health system. The multidisciplinary team we have assembled includes people with diverse backgrounds and skills, including patient partners with lived experiences.”
The work will involve reviewing existing studies to learn from the research of others and collecting BC specific information from the records kept by the health care system. The team will also apply extensive stakeholder engagement, talking to patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, counsellors, and others providing care for patients with mental health conditions in BC.
“We want to gain insight into the typical experiences of patients,” said Dr. Stirling Bryan. “This information will be used in a ‘simulation model’, where we can count the health benefits to patients and the costs of changing practice to include routine use of pharmacogenomics testing for depression.”
“Pharmacogenomics shows significant potential for delivering precision health care,” said Dr. Ellie Griffith, Sector Director, Health at Genome BC. “If the findings indicate that pharmacogenomics testing provides value to both patients and the health care system, this information could be used to bring a positive change to how we care for patients with depression in BC.”
“MSFHR is committed to partnering on strategic initiatives enabling BC researchers to generate and apply much needed research evidence in areas of high priority to our province’s health system,” says Dr. Bev Holmes, President and CEO, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Credit: Genome British Columbia
