Private Practice Physicians

Most physicians don’t realize that “fewer than half of the patients prescribed some of the most expensive drugs actually derived any benefit from them,” according to GlaxoSmithKline Worldwide Vice President of Genetics Allen Roses. Dr. Roses, an academic geneticist from Duke University in North Carolina, spoke at a scientific meeting in London where he cited figures on how well different classes of medications work in real patients.

“Drugs for Alzheimer’s disease work in fewer than one in three patients, whereas those for cancer are only effective in a quarter of patients. Drugs for migraines, osteoporosis and arthritis work in about half of the patients,” Dr. Roses said. “Most drugs work in fewer than one in two patients mainly because the recipients carry genes that interfere in some way with the medicine.”

Until now, there was no way of knowing which medication would work best for which patient, and at what dose. Patient genetics will determine if the medication will work at all, at a higher dose, at the normal dose or if a much lower dose is efficacious. Many physicians will recommend medications that have worked well for their other patients, not realizing that for this particular patient, the medication won’t work at all.

“The vast majority of drugs – more than 90% – only work in 30-50% of the people,” Dr. Roses said. “Drugs out there on the market work, but they don’t work in everybody.”

Want to learn more? Parallel offers PGx training and certification for physicians in private practice to help you incorporate PGx into your practice. Join our telemedicine team. We will provide the training to get you certified, participate in our telemedicine platform, enable you to support your patients interested in PGx testing and provide you with the opportunity to help provide lifesaving information and assistance to thousands of Americans.

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