NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Assurex Health today said that the US Department of Veterans Affairs has approved the firm's GeneSight Psychotropic test for use in VA facilities nationwide.
GeneSight Psychotropic measures and analyzes genomic variants that can affect a patient's response to a broad panel of medications prescribed for mental health conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The firm cited a study published last year in Pharmacogenetics and Genomics, which showed that patients whose medication selection was guided by GeneSight Psychotropic experienced a 70 percent greater improvement in depressive symptoms.
The VA approval also allows clinicians with the Department of Defense, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to have access to the GeneSight Psychotropic test.
Mason, Ohio-based Assurex also offers the GeneSight MTHFR to help clinicians determine whether a patient may need additional folic acid supplementation; GeneSight ADHD for predicting response to ADHD medications; and GeneSight Analgesic for predicting response to opioid medications.