Houston Daily

U.S. Representatives Dan Crenshaw and Eric Swalwell introduced new bipartisan legislation to improve drug-gene interaction management. This legislation seeks to ensure that treatments can be personalized based on individual genetic profiles.

The bill, known as the Right Drug Dose Now Act, aims to incorporate pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing into the healthcare system. PGx studies the relationship between a person's genes and their response to medications, aiming to optimize treatment safety and effectiveness.

The legislation proposes updating the National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention. By enhancing electronic health records with pharmacogenomic data, it seeks to lessen adverse drug events and enhance patient care.

"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."

Congressman Eric Swalwell emphasized the importance of the legislation, noting, "Adverse drug events are a leading cause of death in this country. By factoring genetic testing results into medical prescription decisions, we can improve treatment while reducing adverse drug events."

Cynthia A. Bens, from the Personalized Medicine Coalition, praised the bill, stating, "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."

Kristine Ashcraft of YouScript highlighted the economic implications, saying, "In 2016, the cost of non-optimized medications reached $528 billion. Pharmacogenomics has the potential to cut that waste by 30% or more."

The Right Drug Dose Now Act has garnered support from various medical and health organizations, including the Personalized Medicine Coalition, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and others in the healthcare sector.