ACPE UAN: 0475-0000-19-023-L01-P. A knowledge based activity.

Linked to EAHP Statements

Section 1 – Introductory Statements and Governance: Statements 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6
Section 4 – Clinical Pharmacy Services: Statements 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8
Section 5 – Patient Safety and Quality Assurance: Statements 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.8, 5.9, 5.11
Section 6 – Education and Research: Statements 6.2, 6.5 

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics is the study and clinical application of the genetic determinants of drug response. Pharmacogenomics represents one of the cornerstones of personalised medicine in which drugs and drug combinations can be expected to be tailored to a patient’s unique genetic profile.

The availability of genomic testing is growing, and patients may present today with genetic profiles that they have acquired in various ways. Information from genomic testing may be used in clinical practice to inform drug and dose selection to improve treatment efficacy, reduce adverse drug effects, reduce polypharmacy, and eventually improve clinical outcomes.

Over 200 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs now contain pharmacogenomic information within their product label. Importantly, clinical guidelines providing therapeutic recommendations for over 40 well-known gene-drug pairs have now been produced by the US Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) and/or Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG). In Europe, the Ubiquitous Pharmacogenomics (U-PGx) international consortium is conducting the PREPARE implementation multicenter prospective study to assess the clinical utility of pre-emptive genotyping to optimise the prescribing for multiple drugs across a range of therapeutic areas based on the DPWG recommendations.

In Ontario, Canada, the PRIME study (http://www.open-pharmacy-research.ca/research-projects/prime/) is ongoing, where pharmacists receive a training package on pharmacogenomics and its applied use, with the focus on psychiatric medications. The pharmacists then work in multi-disciplinary teams, using genomic information to find the best medication options for the patients.

This interactive session will demonstrate how the growing science of pharmacogenomics can be brought to clinical practice. What knowledge and skills are needed by the clinicians? What are the opportunities and limitations within this field?

Learning objectives

After the interactive session, participants should be able to:
• describe how prescribing may be tailored by pharmacogenomics – today and in the future;
• outline the role of pharmacists in the clinical application of pharmacogenomics;
• describe how a medication review is performed in the PRIME study, using pharmacogenomic information.

Educational need addressed

Using information from genomic testing when performing medication reviews is not yet common practice, although it is often used for deciding the optimal treatment alternative in, for example, cancer patients. There is an increasing awareness among pharmacists that this is a field they need to familiarise themselves with.

Keywords | Pharmacogenomics, genomic testing.