GX- Pharmacogenomic Testing (PGx)

Pharmacogenomic testing, otherwise known as PGx, refers to a type of genetic test by cheek swab to predict a patient’s likelihood to experience an adverse event or not respond to a given drug. Genetic variation in metabolism may result in high concentrations of drugs and an increased risk of adverse effects in slow metabolizers, which is important when using, for example, antidepressants or pain medication. The demand for pharmacogenomic testing is only expected to increase as researchers discover the potential of personalized medicine and the possibility of new drug development. Currently, the FDA includes black box, pharmacogenomic warnings on the labels of more than 200 medications. A one-time cheek swab test lets providers know whether a patient has specific genetic variants to alert the provider of what drugs to avoid and prescribe to the patient.

Just as there are known drug-drug interactions, there are also known drug-gene interactions. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how a person’s genes affect their response to specific medications. It is a type of precision medicine that GX Sciences offers our providers’ patients at an affordable cash price. Log in to your GX provider account to obtain pricing and order for a patient.