Some pharmacies in southeastern Pennsylvania are offering genetic testing to guide treatment choices for individuals with mental illnesses, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
According to the Inquirer, three dozen Acme pharmacies in the region will be offering testing through Genomind to patients with conditions like depression and anxiety who have tried multiple medications without finding one that works well for them. As GenomeWeb reports, Genomind and Albertsons Companies initially teamed up in June 2018 and now are offering Genomind's Professional PGx Express test at Acme pharmacies in Pennsylvania and certain other Albertsons pharmacies in Idaho. According to the company's webpage, Genomind's Professional PGx Express test examines 24 different genes to ascertain whether a patient will respond to certain psychiatric drugs.
Genomind CEO Shawn Patrick O'Brien tells the Inquirer that pharmacists might be better positioned to catch patients who have tried many different drugs, as patients may have had prescriptions come in from various physicians. The Inquirer adds that patients will need a prescription for testing and that the turnaround on testing results is expected to be about three days.