Nationwide Implementation and Adoption of Pharmacogenetic Testing through a Novel Pharmacy-based Approach

Authors: E.J. Stanek, PharmD; R. Verbrugge, PhD; J. Barlow, MD, MPH, MBA; R. Aubert, PhD, MSPH; M. Khalid, MPH; F. Frueh, PhD; R. Epstein, MD, MS.

Presented by Eric J. Stanek, PharmD, of the Medco Research Institute^® at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG)

Study in Brief:
- This analysis was conducted to examine the impact a novel pharmacy-based pharmacogenomics testing program has on the adoption of genetic testing for patients on the blood-thinner warfarin and the breast cancer prevention drug tamoxifen.

- The program utilized the capabilities of a national pharmacy benefit manager and included identifying appropriate patients for testing, engaging physicians and patients about the genetic tests and gaining their consent for testing, coordinating the collection of DNA samples from patients and their shipment to a qualified laboratory, and communicating and interpreting results to physicians.

- Physicians gave their consent to testing 50.1% of patients overall for whom they determined testing was appropriate – 49.2% were warfarin patients and 53.8% were tamoxifen patients.

- Among patients deemed appropriate for testing, 38.6% of warfarin patients and 56.3% of tamoxifen patients consented to testing.

- Compared to the pre-program time-period, the incidence of testing was nearly 45-times higher for patients enrolled in the warfarin program, and nearly 7-times higher among patients in the tamoxifen program.