sample can help determine:
what medication may be an
effective treatment, the effec-
tive dose of a medication and
whether the medication could
have serious side effects.
Mary C. Hames, PhD,
EMBA – CEO and Founder
of GenetAssistant in Cullman
says, “Pharmacogenomic
testing is one tool that can
help a health care provider
determine the best medica-
tion for a patient. For exam-
ple, say a patient has taken
several medications for high
cholesterol, but the numbers
will just not improve or side
effects to the meds have
been experienced. With phar-
macogenomics testing the
physician will be able to use
the patient’s genetic profile
to predict a drug’s efficacy,
dosage and possible side
effects, therefore improving
the patient’s safety.”
Although the future use
of pharmacogenomic test-
ing looks very promising to
physicians and how they
develop treatment plans for
their patients, it still has a few
limitations. One single test
cannot be used to determine
how someone will respond
to all medications. More than
one test will be needed if a
patient is taking more than
one medicine. Pharmacog-
enomic tests are not avail-
able for all prescription med-
ications. Currently, there are
no pharmacogenomics tests
for aspirin and many over the
counter pain relievers.
Hames from GenetAssis-
tant recommends working
with your health care provider
if you are interested in phar-
macogenomics testing. She
states the test is ideal for the
patient who:
· takes multiple medica-
tions
· has a history of adverse
events
· has had abnormally
strong or weak response
to prescribed drugs
If you are interested in
the possibility of Pharma-
cogenomic Testing discuss
options with your health care
provider. Locally, GenetAssis-
tant can assist your provider
with a team of Geneticists,
Medical Doctors and Genetic
Counselors. The agency will
file Medicare, Medicaid and
most PPO’s (excluding BC/
BS); they always pre-autho-
rize. They also offer clinical
trial search service. Gene-
tAssistant will help identify
trials that you may be eligible
to participate in locally or
nationwide based on your
diagnosis and preferences.
For more information on the
services GenetAssistant
offers go to www.genetas-
sistant.com
Resources for this article:
www.genetassistant.com
https://familydoctor.org/genetic-testing-what-you-should-know
accessed March 3, 2020
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/testing/benefits accessed March 3, 2020
https://www.arrp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2018/genetics-testing -for-older-adults.html ac-
cessed March 3, 2020
https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-individualized-medicine/parient-care/pharma-
cogenomics/drug-gene-testing
accessed March 6, 2020
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2020 | 9