ibs.GRANADA researchers demonstrate that Personalized Medicine reduces adverse drug reactions

The Hospital Pharmacotherapeutic Monitoring research group of the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), belonging to an international group of scientists led by the Leiden University Medical Center, has shown that the prescription of drugs based on the genetic profile of the patient reduces adverse drug reactions by 30%.

In this study carried out by the ibs.GRANADA and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada, where approximately 7000 patients from seven European countries participated, who were evaluated in various medical specialties, including oncology, cardiology, psychiatry and general medicine, The DNA of each participant was mapped and 12 specific genes were studied. After this analysis, it was shown that 50 types of genetic variants affect the functioning of the 39 selected drugs. After 12 weeks after starting the treatment, the patients were contacted by a nurse who asked them about their side effects, finding that those who had received the treatment based on the genetic profile experienced fewer side effects.

The study was coordinated at European level by Henk-Jan Guchelaar, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and in Spain it was led by Cristina Lucía Dávila Fajardo, specialist in Hospital Pharmacy at the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital: “For the first time we have proven that a 'custom' strategy works on a large scale within clinical practice. There is now enough evidence for us to proceed with implementation," say the researchers. “We want to move towards mapping the DNA of each patient who goes to the pharmacy”, “In this way, we can make the treatment more effective and safe for each patient”.

This project, funded by the European Union, has evaluated the utility of using genetic information to personalize the prescription of medicines in the context of several medical fields, demonstrating that patients whose doses are adjusted according to their DNA, experienced 30% less of serious side effects than patients prescribed a standard dose of the drug. This milestone has important implications in the field of Personalized Medicine, a field in which the European Union has funded efforts for a long time.. Personalized medicine and the prescription of drugs based on individual genetic information offer hope for challenges such as the significant rate of hospitalizations due to adverse drug reactions or the aging population and its growing list of medical needs.

This international team of scientists belongs to the U-PGx consortium which was led by LUMC and is also made up of: Uppsala Universitet, University of Liverpool, Karolinska Institutet, Biologis, KNMP, UMC Utrecht, Golden Helix Foundation, Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie in Stuttgart, Centro di Referimento Oncologico Aviano, Medizinische Universität Vienna, University of Patras, Junta de Andalucía, Université de Toulouse, Universitätsklinikum Aachen, Univerza v Ljubljani.

About the research group

The research group "Seguimiento Farmacoterapéutico Hospitalario" of the ibs.GRANADA, whose main researcher is Alberto Jiménez Morales, whose main objective is personalized medicine through pharmacogenetics in patients undergoing treatment with biological therapy in oncological, dermatological, digestive rheumatological diseases and sclerosis multiple, as well as pharmacotherapeutic follow-up and pharmacokinetic monitoring in patients with severe infections receiving antibiotic treatment, pharmacoeconomic analysis of hospital treatments and drug safety studies.

More information about the group at https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/tec02-seguimiento-farmacoterapeutico-hospitalario/

Bibliographic reference: Jesse J Swen, Cathelijne H van der Wouden, Lisanne EN Manson, Heshu Abdullah-Koolmees, Kathrin Blagec, Tanja Blagus, Stefan Böhringer, Anne Cambon-Thomsen, Erika Cecchin, Ka-Chun Cheung, Vera HM Deneer, Mathilde Dupui, Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg, Siv Jonsson et al. A 12-gene pharmacogenetic panel to prevent adverse drug reactions: an open-label, multicentre, controlled, cluster-randomised crossover implementation study. The Lancet. 4–10 February 2023