CVS Caremark

A study led by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital on the effect of CYP2C19 testing on physicians' prescribing patterns has found that when doctors received patient test results for genetic markers associated with clopidogrel response through a pharmacy-benefit manager-

Roche made a splash last year with its repeated overtures to acquire genome sequencing firm Illumina, but for the most part, 2012 was a quiet year during which players in the life sciences industry took modest steps to increase their capabilities to advance personalized treatment

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Originally published May 4.

By Turna Ray
Two recently published pharmacogenetic analyses looking at the impact of CYP2D6 alleles on tamoxifen response found no evidence that patients who harbor these mutations fail to respond to the hormone therapy.

Express Scripts is the only one out of the big three PBMs that hasn't yet made an acquisition to directly support a personalized medicine focus. However, the firm has expressed an interest in applying PGx strategies to rein in healthcare costs, and acquiring Medco would bring it such capabilities.

Generation Health is piloting a program with five health plans in which it deciphers stacked CPT codes that insurers use to reimburse for molecular diagnostics. Simultaneously, Generation Health is gearing up to help diagnostic firms generate the types of evidence that payors need to see in order to justify reimbursement for genetic tests.

A Supreme Court decision against drug developers in Sorrell v. IMS Health could potentially hamper how pharmacy benefit managers can use physician prescription data to drive adoption of pharmacogenomically guided products.

PGXL has become a preferred lab conducting pharmacogenomics testing for CVS Caremark's personalized medicine programs.