Starting May 9, UCSF Health will provide pharmacogenetic testing, which can lower adverse drug reaction risks by 30 percent.
UCSF is the first California facility and among about 10 in the nation to offer these tests, according to a May 4 news release from the San Francisco-based hospital.
With the program, patients will have the option for pharmacists to test one blood sample to scope out 15 genes that can affect efficacy of 56 medications, "including those that treat cancer, transplantation, pain, heart conditions, infectious diseases, depression and other conditions," the release said.
Patients who agree to the tests will be billed within two weeks on their MyChart profile, and the results will be added to their medical records "to guide future prescribing," the hospital said. "As UCSF pharmacogenetic testing progresses, more genes and medications will be added. Eventually, cheek swabbing may be introduced as an alternative to blood draws."
Pharmacogenetic testing can improve efficacy and patient care because estimates show more than 90 percent of the population have at least one genetic variant that would necessitate altering a medication or dosage, according to UCSF.
Other health systems and hospitals have completed several pilots on pharmacogenomics, such as Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health, and some have a program and staff dedicated to the research field, including Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.