Diagnostic information services provider Quest Diagnostics has rolled out its new lab-developed genetic test to support the delivery of modified opioid pain-relieving treatment.
It effectively tests for variants in all cytochrome P450 (CYP450) genes that influence the CYP450 enzyme system, which affects metabolism of opioids and other medications.
The test has been developed using gene variants owned by Transgenomic (TBIO) through a non-exclusive licensing agreement between the two companies.
Developed and validated by Quest Diagnostics, the test is now being offered through its advanced Nichols Institute facility in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Quest Diagnostics genetics senior medical director Charles (Buck) Strom said that genetic testing to personalizing the use of pain-alleviating drug therapies is a new clinical field with potential to promote favorable outcomes for individuals struggling with pain.
"Opioids can be very effective pain-alleviating medications, but they are also powerful and potentially dangerous drugs carrying a high risk of addiction, toxicity and other adverse effects," Strom added.
A research study highlights underlines that more than 100 million Americans in the US suffer from chronic pain.
Opioids, which comprise oxycodone and methadone, are broadly used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain.
Identification of the gene variants that mediate the CYP450 enzyme system through genetic testing can assist the physicians to foresee the rate of opioid drug metabolism, thus helping them to adjust doses or administer other therapies to improve the prospect for effective pain relief.
