“WHAT IT COULD DO IS REDUCE THREE INEFFECTIVE MEDICATIONS
TO ONE EFFECTIVE MEDICATION – WHICH WOULD DRASTICALLY
REDUCE YOUR DRUG PLAN EXPENDITURE, BUT ALSO
IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE PATIENT SIMULTANEOUSLY.”
– DR. MICHAEL PROUSE
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report. Sometimes, people don’t want to see
any genetic information whatsoever – they
only want to see the drug recommendations,”
he said. “We’re only looking at liver enzymes
– we don’t test for any disease risk.”
Once they decide these things, they receive
their DNA kit in the mail. It’s a
non-invasive kit – a “spit kit” – which takes
only a couple minutes to complete. Then
Puralator will come and pick it up, and take
it to P3’s laboratory, says Prouse.
A pharmacogenetic consultant – like
Prouse – will then go through the results
with the employee.
“I’ll take into account their genetic information,
their liver enzymes, see their
metabolization status, and then I’ll look at
their environment. I’ll ask, ‘Are you drinking
grapefruit juice?’ Because it’s a potent
liver enzyme inhibitor that can make a lot
of antidepressants ineffective. So I’ll check
the environmental factors, what other
medications they are on.
“We’ll marry the environmental aspects
and the genetic aspects into one summary.”
This type of testing empowers the patient,
so they now can drive an advocacy conversation
with their doctor. All of these factors
can really help in changing prescribed medication
down the line, says Prouse.
Although it may seem a little “sci-fi” when
you first learn about it, pharmacogenetic
testing has been around for more than a
decade in Canada out of Mount Sinai
Hospital, he says. And while it is impressive
science, essentially it’s just one more
tool to ensure employees have the best
care available.
“At the end of the day, health care providers
will utilize us as a tool – just like a
carpenter uses a saw, a hammer or whatnot
– we’re an additional tool that a doctor
will utilize to increase the accuracy of a
prescription,” said Prouse. n
Liz Bernier is a communications
specialist at the Human Resources
Professionals Association.
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ CONFERENCE ISSUE 2018 ❚ 27
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