Decoding the
DNA of Drug
Efficacy
PHARMACOGENETICS – THE FUTURE
OF DRUG BENEFIT PLANS
By Liz Bernier
Imagine a doctor’s visit where you need a new prescription. It’s for depression. You receive
a prescription with a number of caveats about side effects – take it before bed if
it makes you feel too drowsy to wake up in the morning. Take it with food if it makes
you too nauseous to concentrate. Come back in six weeks to touch base about how it’s
working; call if you have any pressing concerns.
Now, imagine your new prescription works wonders, straight away. No significant side
effects. No experimentation with different formulas until you find the right drug. No time
wasted; no fuss, no muss.
That could be the brave new world of drug prescribing – at least if Michael Prouse has
anything to say about it.
Dr. Michael Prouse is the director of operations at Personalized Prescribing Inc., or P3.
P3 is a personalized medicine company, a provider of pharmacogenetics testing, with a focus
on the employer side.
“We’re Canadian-owned and Canadian-operated, and we’re committed to providing the
highest quality pharmacogenetic solutions to organizations with an ultimate goal of improving
the overall health of the workforce,” said Prouse. “Our mantra is always to bring
personalized medicine to the workforce and to employers, and the way we do that is by
being a provider of pharmacogenetic testing, which is drug compatibility testing that basically
ensures that you’re on the right medication, at the right dose, the first time when
taking a medication.”
“WHAT SCIENCE IS SHOWING US IS THAT
WE ACTUALLY ARE ALL UNIQUE, AND WE
ALL HAVE UNIQUE SETS OF LIVER ENZYMES
– AND BASED ON THOSE UNIQUE SETS OF
LIVER ENZYMES, WE ARE ALL UNIQUE IN THE
WAY THAT WE METABOLIZE MEDICATIONS.”
– DR. MICHAEL PROUSE
24 ❚ CONFERENCE ISSUE 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL