Advanced DNA Test to recommend the right medication for psychiatry & epilepsy patients – now in India
Neuropharmagen test analyzes DNA of a patient to understand how he would respond to a particular set of drugs leading to effective treatment and faster stabilization.
New Delhi: There is a new ray of hope for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, OCD, Bipolar disorder and epilepsy, iLife Discoveries, a leading genetics company in India has introduced a revolutionary new DNA test to predict a patient’s response to a particular set of drugs and help recommend the most effective and safest medication tailored to his genetic makeup.
iLife Discoveries has collaborated with AB Biotics, Spain to introduce this pathbreaking Neuropharmagen test in India to assist clinicians to make a more informed treatment decision for their neuro psychiatry patients.
According to WHO’s Global Burden of Disease 2001, 33% of the years lived with disability (YLD) are due to neuropsychiatric disorders. But adverse drug reactions and failure of a patient to respond to therapy often causes delay in stabilization, with increasing financial and emotional costs.
Given the inherent genetic differences in people, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach does not always work in case of drugs, particularly in the neuropsychiatry domain. It is estimated that up to 60-70% of patients treated with antidepressants do not experience remission. Physicians follow a more conventional/generalized mode of treatment, changing drugs, adjusting the dosage or combination, in trying to figure out the right medication for such patients.
The Neuropharmagen test is thus a breakthrough development that will help identify the safest and most appropriate medication for each patient in case of psychiatric and neurological disorders. This test can save patients from incomprehensible adverse effects of drugs and help reduce the time spent searching for the most effective treatment.
“Neuropsychiatric patients often respond poorly to certain medication and a significant percentage of them develop side effects. Each human being is different genetically, with varying metabolism and in some cases even the most trusted and well received drugs may not work well for some people. Not just the type of medication, even the dosage needed may vary from person to person. Through the Neuropharmagen test, we are able to study the DNA of a patient and understand how his metabolism will respond to different drugs; which drugs will have an adverse effect on his body; and what dosage of which drug will be optimal for him. We provide specific recommendations based on our test results which then help the doctor make the best choices in terms of medication,” says Mr Anand Gupta Founder & CMD, iLife Discoveries.
The test result indicates the likelihood of positive or negative response to individual drugs, depending on the patient´s genetic profile. The mechanism allows for a faster stabilization and early return to normalcy of patients who are unable to lead normal lives due to serious neuropsychiatry disorders such as depression, Obssesive Compulsive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Epilepsy , Schizophrenia, among others.
“Psychiatric and Neuropsychiatric disorders are often difficult to treat because in treating them, we are not able to evaluate tangible physiological changes that would help the treating doctor to assess how efficacious a particular drug might be for a particular patient. Thus, a lot of time is often spent seeking the right medicine or the right combination of medicines for that patient. According to various studies and in my clinical experience, almost 30-40 per cent of patients with Psychiatric illnesses are resistant to medicines. Besides, there are significant individual differences in the clinical response and adverse effects of Psychiatric medicines. By giving a clear break down of the individual’s DNA markers vis a vis drug metabolism, the Neuropharmagen test would help doctors tailor and customise medications and dosage to the needs of different patients. This can help reduce the burden of poor response, adverse drug reactions, mortality and extra costs,” says Senior Neuro-Psychiatrist, Dr Sanjay Chugh.
Neuropharmagen test uses the patient’s saliva to study his genetic makeup, making it an extremely convenient process. The provision of collection of samples from doorsteps is provided by iLife Discoveries. The examination of the sample of is done at AB Biotics, a leading molecular diagnostic company in Spain. The results are available within 14 days for further reference for the treatment.
The Neuropharmagen test has to be done once in a lifetime as the individual’s DNA do not change. The result of test is derived taking into account the relevant pharmacogenetic recommendations from the labeling of FDA-approved drugs as well as published guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) and the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) of the Royal Dutch Pharmacist’s Association (KNMP).
About iLife Discoveries
iLife Discoveries is a leading genetics & genomics company with R&D initiatives in healthcare. Established in 2009, the company specializes in molecular based diagnosis and gene based targeted therapies with an aim to diagnose disease at the genetic level that will enable patients to benefit from cost effective and personalized diagnostic tools and assist clinicians to offer the most appropriate and effective treatment to patients. Developed with specialized skills and know-how we have accumulated over the years, our genetic services are considered as superior in multiplex testing efficiency and cost effectiveness for cancer care and management, pharmacogenomics of neuro psychiatric drugs, prenatal and post natal assessment of genetic abnormalities, new born screening for IEMs(Inborn errors of Metabolism), congenital heart disorders and an increasing number of tests aimed to determine hereditary genetic predisposition and prognosis. ILife panels of consultants consist of world renowned geneticists and American college of Medical Genetics (ACMG) certified cytogeneticists, leading oncologists & molecular biologists. Besides genetic diagnostic services, iLife discoveries offers custom research services for national and global research organizations, academia and pharma companies.
