Pharmacogenomics for doctors

Pharmacogenomics for doctors

A clinical decision support tool for genetically guided prescriptions

The Biron Genetics (formerly BiogeniQ) pharmacogenomic test analyzes genetic variants that influence the effects of medications used in psychiatry and pain management. Our test tells you whether these variants are present and their potential impact on both response and tolerability to more than 100 molecules.

Why prescribe a pharmacogenomic test for your patient?

The road to healing in psychiatry can be hindered by lengthy trial and error to determine the best medication and or the optimal dose. Our pharmacogenomic test enables a more informed decision tailored to your patient’s genetics thus improving medication response, remission times and tolerability. The pharmacogenomic test also contributes to lower overall health care costs (decreased adverse drug reactions, decreased dosage titration, decreased medication switching)[1].

Our pharmacogenomic test helps you improve many of your patients’ wellness more quickly and more safely.

Pharmacogenetic-guided prescribing increased the likelihood of remission from major depressive disorder by 41% [2]

(Meta-analysis of five randomized controlled trials)

How our pharmacogenomic test helps your practice:

  • Avoid prescribing toxic and ineffective treatments due to a patient’s slow or fast metabolism.
  • Guide your treatment choices by identifying the medications with higher or poorer likelihood of response.
  • Identify genetic predispositions to particular side effects.
  • Help the management of complex cases.
  • Promote treatment adherence via increased patient confidence.

Which genes do we test?

We offer a comprehensive test that identifies common and rare variants across multiple ethnic backgrounds that increases the chance of identifying clinically relevant patient data. How we do it?

  • We reference and integrate all peer-reviewed clinical guidelines in the report.
  • The report was co-created with psychiatrists to offer an intuitive format that breaks down your patient’s predispositions for medication effects into three categories: 1) Exposure, 2) Efficacy, 3) Adverse Drug Reactions.
  • We include the most comprehensive pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic variants in order to offer less false negative results than other pharmacogenomic tests for psychiatry.
  • We test all key alleles identified in the “Minimum, evidence-based genetic testing panel” for psychiatry and recommended by the Association of Molecular Pathology (AMP, Tier 1) [3,4,5,6].
  • Our pharmacogenomic recommendations are provided using an open and peer-reviewed approach that ensures transparency.

With a focus on psychiatry (including ADHD), our test also covers medication for pain management.

The Biron pharmacogenomic test is covered by more and more insurance companies.

The testing process

We made it straight forward for you!

I want to prescribe a test to my patient

I want to learn more about Biron’s pharmacogenomic test. Here are the online resources available to support your practice from prescribing the test to interpreting the PGx report (PDF ready to download).

To learn more about pharmacogenomic testing, contact the Biron Genetics team at pgxinfo@biron.com or 1-866-923-9222 #8723.

Information for patients

Sources6
  1. Van Schaik RHN, Müller DJ, Serretti A and Ingelman-Sundberg M. (2020) Pharmacogenetics in Psychiatry: An Update on Clinical Usability. Front Pharmacol 11:575530.
  2. Bousman C, et al. (2019) Pharmacogenetic tests and depressive symptom remission: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pharmacogenomics. 20:37-47.
  3. Bousman C, Al Maruf A and Müller DJ. (2019) Towards the integration of pharmacogenetics in psychiatry: a minimum, evidence-based genetic testing panel. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 32:7-15.
  4. Pratt VM, et al. (2021) Recommendations for Clinical CYP2D6 Genotyping Allele Selection: A Joint Consensus Recommendation of the Association for Molecular Pathology, College of American Pathologists, Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group of the Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association, and the European Society for Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Therapy. J Mol Diagn. 23:1047-1064.
  5. Pratt VM, et al. (2019) Recommendations for Clinical CYP2C9 Genotyping Allele Selection: A Joint Recommendation of the Association for Molecular Pathology and College of American Pathologists. J Mol Diagn. 21:746-755.
  6. Pratt VM, et al. (2018) Recommendations for Clinical CYP2C19 Genotyping Allele Selection: A Report of the Association for Molecular Pathology. J Mol Diagn 20:269-276.