MOORESTOWN, N.J., May 09, 2018 — Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. (TRHC) (NASDAQ:TRHC), a healthcare technology company optimizing medication safety by deploying new, medication risk mitigation software solutions and novel, proprietary medication decision support tools, has completed a study of the feasibility of a pharmacist-led pharmacogenomics (PGx) service for the federal Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
Entitled, “Implementation of a Pharmacist-Led Pharmacogenomics Service for PACE (PHARM-GENOME-PACE)”, the article was published online March 5, 2018 in Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, and in the Journal’s May/June print issue. The study focused on 296 individuals, aged 55 and older, enrolled in community-based PACE centers nationwide, who underwent PGx testing as part of their medical care.
“It is well-known that individuals respond in different ways to the same medication or combinations of medications,” said Calvin H. Knowlton, PhD, Founder and CEO of TRHC, and a study author. “Moreover, it is increasingly being recognized that genetics play an important role in individual medication response. PGx is a core element of precision pharmacotherapy that entails understanding how genetics contribute to this variability. PGx uses genetic information to guide medication selection and dosing to maximize effectiveness and minimize toxicity for individual patients. Our purpose in undertaking this study was to determine the feasibility of a pharmacist-led PGx service in improving medication safety.”
Pharmacists’ roles in the study were interpreting and applying PGx data, determining how to disseminate those data to prescribers, advocating for appropriate PGx testing in PACE, and educating prescribers about the application of test results to clinical practice.
A key finding of the study was PACE participants frequently were on medications posing drug-gene interactions (DGIs) risks, with the majority (73.6%) having >1 reported interaction. Importantly, the overwhelming majority (89.0%) of pharmacists’ recommendations to mitigate risks were accepted by referring physicians.
“The conclusion of the study is implementing a pharmacist-led PGx service for PACE is feasible,” said lead author, Kevin T. Bain, MPH, PharmD, Vice President of Medication Risk Mitigation for TRHC. “Implementation of this service highlights the leadership role of pharmacists in moving PGx from research to practice.”
“Analyzing and interpreting PGx testing results, and guiding clinical decisions based on such results, are vital services by pharmacists for the improvement of medication responses and patient outcomes. What this study demonstrates is the innovative practice of pharmacist-led PGx testing, interpreting and consulting,” stated Knowlton.
Forward-Looking Statements
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