Testing company launches trial in screening for genetic variables in drug response

InSource Diagnostics, a California-based clinical laboratory that includes drug testing services, is seeking physician practice sites for participation in research into genetic variables affecting patient response to drugs such as opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines.

According to a July 21 news release from the company, its SPHERE Registry uses information from routine urine drug testing to screen for patients who likely would benefit from further testing to determine the presence of a genetic mutation affecting medication response. The company states that this offers an alternative to initial screening with pharmacogenomic testing that often is not reimbursable.

Opioids, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, and tricyclic antidepressants are among the drug categories that will fall under the scope of the study, which is enrolling 14,000 patients. “This study will be of great interest to physicians in pain management, psychiatry, general and family practice, internal medicine, addiction and rheumatology,” said InSource Diagnostics CEO Sky Countryman.