Have you wondered why the incidence of some sickness such as depression and depression-related misdemeanors are high in the United States? What intervention can increase the clinical response and recovery rates for patients with major depressive disorders (MDD) or any other form of depression? The answer is in recent research on multi-gene pharmacogenomics testing.

THE WORK DONE

The researchers evaluated the patient’s outcome when pharmacogenetics testing was used in selecting patients’ medication. The results were compared with the outcome from a similar but different group of patients where drug selection was made using the traditional approach of unguided drug selection. The choice of study participants and study design was in line with the approved protocol. Also, the intervention was a specific set of multi-genes specific to depression treatment and recovery. The primary metrics for the outcome measurement were remission, which means that the patient was free of the disease (depression). Can you guess the outcome of the study?

ITS OUTCOME

During the 24-week study period, patients who received their drugs based on their pharmacogenetics test report experienced a sustained decrease on their remission rating scale. By the 24th week, the patients who received pharmacogenetics-guided medications had a response rate of 70% with a remission rate of 100% from week 8 to week 24.
Based on this experience, and findings, will you agree that pharmacogenetics testing can improve response and remission rates of depression among patients who had experienced prior treatment resistance? This truth is more profound for patients who have been treated with medications that are suitable for the patient’s genetic composition. Are you experiencing difficulties because of depression? Click to receive a free guide on possible solutions.

REFERENCES

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Prevention of Depression among adults aged 20 and over. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db303.htm

Greden JF, Parikh S, Rothschild A, et al. Impact of pharmacogenomics on clinical outcomes in major depressive disorder in the GUIDED trial: A large, patient- and rater-blinded, randomized controlled study