Phase 2 of the pharmacogenomics research project launched this April, with 25 pharmacies participating in communities across B.C.
The “Genomics for Precision Drug Therapy in the Community Pharmacy” project is co-funded by Genome BC and the BCPhA, with research led by a team
at the University of British Columbia’s Sequencing and Bioinformatics Consortium.
In Phase 2, community pharmacists are focused on recruiting patients who are currently taking mental health medications. Testing will also be applied for patients on other commonly prescribed medications, such as cardiovascular and pain medications.
Once a patient’s DNA has been sequenced, the pharmacist will provide a consultation and report back to the patient, and inform their health-care provider as needed to help guide drug therapy decisions.
The first phase of the project focused on whether pharmacists, in both urban and rural communities, could be the source for PGx testing – and quickly determined they could. In that phase, 29 community pharmacists in locations across B.C. participated and recruited 200 patients. The project focused on patient education, developing and implementing standard operating procedures and collecting samples from patients in their communities.