Indications for pharmacogenomic testing in Australia

Medication doesn’t always have the same effect for each individual: two patients can experience highly variable responses to the same drug, which can have serious implications for patients, as well costing billions to the Australian health system. Many factors influencing the safety and efficacy of medication are influenced by a person’s genes, but a lack of understanding and confidence in pharmacogenomic testing often prevents its use in practice. This has caused a large gap between current practice and what is best practice in drug and dose selection in Australia.  

The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPA) leads this initiative, partnering with the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) to generate publicly available indications and guidelines for pharmacogenomic testing in Australia. The project will also establish a generic template for pharmacogenomic MSAC applications, as well as two of its own submissions for the MBS funding of tests for the most urgent pharmacogenomic tests.