Hyderabad doctors can now prescribe drugs based on genetic blueprint of patients

AIG Hospitals now prescribes medicines based on an individual’s genetic make-up. A study revealed 30 per cent of patients take genetically unsuitable drugs. The hospital, in collaboration with GenepoweRx, offers affordable lifetime genomic tests for personalized treatment across multiple diseases

Hyderabad: Are we taking medicines that are genetically suitable for us? In a unique initiative at prescribing medicines that genetically will suit each individual, doctors can now prescribe medicines based on a person’s genetic make-up.

Moving away from the long-held practice of generalized prescriptions, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG), has launched prescriptions based on genetic make-up of an individual for proper recovery from various kinds of diseases.

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The move follows a study by AIG Hospitals on nearly 2,000 patients, which yielded startling results. “It showed around 30 per cent of the participants were taking drugs that were genetically unsuitable for them, which leads to either poor recovery outcomes or avoidable adverse reactions,” says Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals.

The study indicated nearly one in three patients may be on medicines that are genetically unsuitable. “By introducing this test at an affordable cost, we aim to make precision medicine a part of routine healthcare, while also creating a foundation for large-scale genomic and translational research in India,” he said.

As a part of introducing genetic medical prescription, AIG Hospitals is collaborating with genomics and AI company GenepoweRx. The test, which only needs to be performed once in a lifetime as a person’s genetic profile never changes, analyzes an individual’s DNA to predict how their body responds to common medications used for diseases such as heart conditions, diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological and psychiatric illness and pain management.

According to hospital doctors, similar genomic tests in Western countries cost upwards of Rs 80,000, while AIG Hospitals is offering them for Rs 5,000.