WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week, U.S. Representatives Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) and Eric Swalwell (CA-14) introduced bipartisan legislation to better address drug-gene interactions to ensure that all Americans have access to treatment that is personalized to their needs.
The Right Drug Dose Now Act will enable the use of evidence-based pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing to prevent adverse drug events and help ensure that patients receive medications tailored to their genetic makeup. PGx is the study of how genes affect the body’s response to certain medicines, which is critical to understanding how safe and effective a particular drug can be for individual patients.
The Right Drug Does Now Act aims to update the National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention by integrating advancements in pharmacogenomic research and testing. The bill enhances electronic health records (EHRs) with pharmacogenomic information to reduce adverse drug events. The Right Drug Dose Now Act represents a significant step forward in integrating cutting edge PGx research into clinical practice. By updating enhancing EHR systems, this act will reduce adverse drug events, improve patient care, and pave the way for more personalized medicine approaches.
“More personalized care means better health outcomes for patients,” said Congressman Dan Crenshaw. “This bill will ensure drugs are tailored to each person’s unique needs, it will save on health care costs, and improve lives.”
“Adverse drug events are a leading cause of death in this country,” said Congressman Eric Swalwell, co-founder of the Personalized Medicine Caucus. “By factoring genetic testing results into medical prescription decisions, we can improve treatment a range of conditions while reducing adverse drug events. PGx will give medical professionals and patients the information they need to choose effective treatments for each clinical case.”
“We applaud Reps. Swalwell and Crenshaw for introducing the Right Drug Dose Now Act,” said Cynthia A. Bens, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Personalized Medicine Coalition. “By streamlining activities across multiple federal agencies and health care delivery, this bill would spark more widespread utilization of genetically informed prescribing practices that keep American patients out of the hospital.”
"If we are truly committed to reducing waste, the timing couldn't be more critical. In 2016, the cost of non-optimized medications reached $528 billion - more than what was spent on the drugs themselves or any major chronic disease. Pharmacogenomics has the potential to cut that waste by 30% or more. I encourage others to join Swalwell and Crenshaw in crossing the aisle to address this public health crisis head-on," said Kristine Ashcraft, President of YouScript and steering member of STRIPE, the FDA Collaborative Community for Pharmacogenomics.
This legislation is supported by the Personalized Medicine Coalition, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, American Society of Pharmacovigilance, OneOme, GenXys, YouScript, Aranscia, AccessDx, 2bPrecise, GTMRx Institute, Labcorp, Biocom, Pharma GenLabs, Association for Molecular Pathology, Sanford Health, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP).