Genetics

Genomics implementation in practice: opportunities, progress and challenges

Genomics is one of five core priorities of the government’s NHS ten-year health plan, but what progress has been made towards a genomics population health service, what challenges need to be overcome and what is the role of pharmacy?…

RPS publishes pharmacogenomics prescribing resource for all prescribers  

As pharmacogenomics is further embedded in the NHS, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said its latest resource is aimed to “strengthen current practice while also informing future workforce development”.…

UK Clinical Pharmacy Association launches pharmacogenomics guidance

The ‘Handbook of pharmacogenomics’ will offer pharmacists, GPs and nurse practitioners access to an online, searchable resource, aimed to provide evidence-based advice and guidance in one place.…

Health news round-up: haematology, mental health and pharmacogenomics

A weekly summary of important developments in health news that you may have missed.…

All patients should undergo pharmacogenetic testing before being prescribed clopidogrel

The UK Centre of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation in Pharmacogenomics has highlighted that a significant proportion of the UK population have lower CYP2C19 enzyme levels, which lower the effectiveness of the antiplatelet drug.…

MHRA sets out plans to speed up access to rare disease therapies

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said “the rulebook for rare disease therapies will be overhauled" to make it quicker and easier to get therapies tested and approved.…

Genetic testing could prevent three-quarters of avoidable side effects of some medicines, study suggests

Researchers found that patients experiencing adverse drug reactions to treatments for psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular problems could benefit the most from personalised prescribing with pharmacogenomics.…

NICE recommends once-weekly injection for severe blood clotting disorder

Efanesoctocog alfa, a once-weekly treatment for patients with severe haemophilia A, removes the need for frequent dosing, owing to its effective bleeding control.…

More than 2,000 patients tested in UK’s first routine genotyping project for clopidogrel prescribing

Exclusive: The genotyping project at NHS Tayside identified 2,300 patients, 29% of whom emerged as ‘poor’ or ‘intermediate’ CYP2C19-clopidogrel metabolisers.…

Lessons from testing 2,300 patients at the UK’s first CYP2C19 genotyping system 

Specialist clinical pharmacist Alex Matos explains what his team has learned in the two years since setting up the NHS Tayside project to genotype acute stroke patients with an indication for clopidogrel.…