Almost half of all UK adults regularly take prescription medicines and the NHS’s annual budget for medicines is approximately £17.4 billion per year, with over 1.1 billion items prescribed annually. One approach to addressing adverse or ineffective medication reactions is to leverage knowledge of an individual’s genetic information to support medicines optimisation, better informing medicine selection and dosing, a concept known as pharmacogenetics. This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence will develop the rollout of pharmacogenomics and medicines optimisation in the NHS, including furthering the rollout in primary care. This NHS Genomic Network of Excellence aligns with the Manchester NIHR BRC, NIHR Academic Health Science Network (AHSNs), industry partners and a Horizon 2020 Grant.
Pharmacogenomics: Future Prospects in the NHS
The Alliance, in collaboration with The British Pharmacological Society and the national UK Pharmacogenetics & Stratified Medicine Network (UKPGx) held an event in Liverpool, called 'Pharmacogenomics: Future Prospects in the NHS'. The event was recorded and available to watch via the links below.
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Pharmacogenomics is pivotal in tailoring medical treatments to individuals, particularly because certain adverse drug reactions are determined by genetic factors. Notably, adverse drug reactions contribute to 6.5% of hospital admissions in the UK. Employing pharmacogenomics to assess how individuals react to medications can greatly improve patient safety and treatment outcomes.
In this episode, experts in this field explore the role of genomic testing in determining which patients will benefit from specific medications and which might experience negative effects. They delve into the partnership between Genomics England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency through the Yellow Card Biobank. The discussion also covers the hurdles in integrating pharmacogenomics into the healthcare system.
The podcast is hosted by Vivienne Parry, who is the Head of Public Engagement at Genomics England, accompanied by Anita Hanson, Research Matron and Lead Research Nurse for clinical pharmacology at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Bill Newman from the Manchester Center for Genomic Medicine, and Professor Matt Brown, the Chief Scientific Officer at Genomics England.
https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/podcasts/can-genomic-testing-prevent-adverse-drug-reactions.
Professor Bill Newman, project lead for this Genomic Network of Excellence features in a NEW podcast, from Genetic Sounds (July 2024) where they discuss Pharmacogenetics. Recorded with a live audience in Berlin, Germany.
Available to listen by clicking on the image.
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