Medical Experts Urge UK To Implement DNA Testing That Shows Which Drugs Work

British medical experts are urging the National Health Service to test patients' DNA before prescribing or giving medical drugs over fears of deadly side effects.

The British Pharmacological Society and the Royal College of Physicians published a report Tuesday that details the necessity of testing people’s DNA, also called pharmacogenomic testing. It noted that “99% of people carry at least one,” genetic variation that would determine “whether a medicine works, whether it causes serious side effects, and what dose is needed.”

That means 99% of people have at least one genetic variation that could affect their response to common drugs like painkillers, beta-blockers, or antidepressants, among others.

“For patients, this will mean the medicines they take are more likely to work and be safer,” said Munir Pirohamed, Weatherall Chair of Medicine at the University of Liverpool and chair of the report’s working party.

“In the 21st century, we need to move away from the paradigm of ‘one drug and one dose fits all’ to a more personalized approach,” Pirohamed said.

According to the report, 6.5% of hospital admissions in the U.K. are due to patients with drug side effects, and most prescription medicines only work on 30% to 50% of people.

The report highlights a case where a woman lost 65% of the skin on her body when she had a severe reaction to an epilepsy medication, something that could have been prevented with DNA testing.

“This will revolutionize medicine and, combined with a digitally-driven population health approach, fundamentally change the traditional model of care,” said Chair of NHS England Lord David Prior.

The report gives a series of recommendations to the NHS to improve and implement more of the DNA testing required to make sure fewer patients have negative side effects from medicines given to them.

“For patients, this will mean the medicines they take are more likely to work and be safer,” Pirmohamed said.