MINNEAPOLIS (May 12, 2017) – National Women’s Health Week (May 14-20) is an important annual reminder for women to prioritize their health. Fortunately, a new area of personalized medicine called pharmacogenomics is helping women avoid and treat many top health issues. OneOme’s RightMed® pharmacogenomic test uses the power of DNA to predict which medications may work best for an individual patient – helping women avoid adverse drug reactions and better treat conditions including heart disease and cancer.
“National Women’s Health Week is a reminder that we all must do better to promote and improve women’s health,” Paul Owen, CEO of OneOme, said. “Use of personalized medicine has great opportunity to impact women’s healthcare, as women face higher rates of adverse drug reactions than men. OneOme’s RightMed test provides guidance in the selection and adjustment of medications commonly prescribed to women, including hormonal therapy and many medications used during peri and postpartum care.“
How a body metabolizes prescription medications varies greatly by gender and genetic factors can account for up to 95 percent of how a patient responds to medications. Imprecision in the prescription medicine field has led to adverse reactions, ranging from weight gain to death. Research confirms that women face higher rates of adverse drug reactions (ADR) than men. One study published in 2011 found that “Women have a nearly 2-fold greater risk for developing ADRs than men, and they are more likely to be hospitalized secondary to an ADR.” The same study showed that between 1988 and 2005, estrogen was the medication most frequently associated with serious and fatal outcomes reported through the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System.
Adverse drug reactions are now the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., and many of the four billion prescriptions issued each year do not work as intended. The RightMed pharmacogenomic test minimizes those risks by using an individual’s DNA to predict how medications will work for that patient. Test results are then integrated into that patient’s electronic medical record (EMR), giving doctors the ability to use the results to prescribe medications more effectively for years to come.
OneOme’s RightMed test, which was co-developed with the Mayo Clinic, brings pharmacogenomics into routine clinical care. By using a physician-ordered cheek swab or blood test, physicians will have a better idea of how 22 of their patients’ genes analyzed through the test will respond to 340+ medications.
Anyone can take the RightMed test, although patients who may benefit most include: those who are taking certain classes of medication, such as cardiovascular or psychiatric prescriptions; those who are struggling with adverse drug reactions or medications that are not working; or those who are on multiple medications.
About OneOme
The OneOme platform was co-developed and exclusively licensed from Mayo Clinic to bring pharmacogenomics into routine clinical care. OneOme is a privately held company backed by early-stage venture firm Invenshure, LLC, and Mayo Clinic. To learn more about OneOme, visit oneome.com.