iLife Discoveries, a six-year-old genetics company, is aggressively working with hospitals in India for treating neuropsychiatry condition with neuropharmagen analysis which is a DNA test used to recommend the right medication for psychiatry and epilepsy patients.
Neuropharmagen is a pharmacogenetic analysis developed by AB-Biotics, Spain for patients with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The test is carried out with a simple analysis of the patient's saliva. The test is priced at around $1,800 in the globally. For India it is offered at Rs. 60,000. The results are available within 14 days for further reference for the treatment.
Clinicians can make an informed treatment decision for their neuropsychiatry patients with neuropharmagen. Its assay provides actionable information in a simplified form allowing physician to stabilize the patient. It helps the patient to return to work in the shortest possible period which is a huge financial benefit because it prevents loss of work and salary.
“We view this as a revolutionary DNA test to predict a patient’s response to neuropsychiatry medication and help recommend the most-effective and safest medication tailored to his genetic makeup,” Anand Gupta Founder & CMD, iLife Discoveries told Pharmabiz in an email.
The test has to be done once in a lifetime as the individual’s DNA does not change. The result is derived taking into account the relevant pharmacogenetic recommendations from the labeling of FDA-approved drugs as well as published guidelines from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) and the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) of the Royal Dutch Pharmacist’s Association (KNMP), he added.
In a bid to ensure faster access to neuropharmagen, the company has sensitized all the major government and private hospitals which deal with neuropsychiatry cases that includes Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur. The hospital list is extensive and includes AIIMS: Delhi, AIIMS: Bhopal, Fortis: Gurgaon, KIMS and NIMHANS Bengaluru. Private consultants with psychiatry clinics have also been included in our sensitization drive about the importance of this assay, said Gupta.
“Specifically in NIMHANS we had informative sessions with some faculty members. These interactions have highlighted the urgent need and requirement of such and assay so that these patients can be stabilized as soon as possible”, he said.