Medical Device Network

Myriad’s GeneSight test proves effective in new study data

The 21,000 subject-study demonstrated a reduction in psychiatric-related hospitalisations following the test.

Myriad Genetics has announced results from a study indicating that fewer patients were prescribed medications with gene-drug interactions after taking the GeneSight Psychotropic test.

Myriad’s GeneSight Psychotropic test is a genetic-based decision support testing tool which analyses the patient’s genes and advises the physicians to prescribe the appropriate medicine.

It is used for more than 60 medications commonly prescribed for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychiatric conditions, facilitating a personalised treatment plan that results in a faster response and remission for patients.

The study which enrolled 21,000 patients, demonstrated a 39% relative reduction in psychiatric-related hospitalisations 180 days following the test, as well as a 29% reduction in hospitalisations for any reason. Additionally, among patients who took the GeneSight test, there was a decrease in the proportion who were prescribed medications with significant gene-drug interactions after taking the test, with the number of patients being prescribed going down from 26.1% to 15.9%.

Myriad took on the GeneSight test in when it acquired informatics-based precision medicine company Assurex Health for $225m in 2016.

In the announcement accompanying the results, Myriad’s chief scientific officer Dale Muzzey said: “We are encouraged by the initial results of this study that showed how the proportion of patients with hospitalisations was significantly reduced after GeneSight testing.

“This is the first step in a multi-phase analysis of real-world data to further demonstrate how the GeneSight test may improve clinical outcomes and reduce overall healthcare costs. We expect to share additional study results later this year.”

In September 2023, Myriad teamed up with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to assess the use of minimal residual disease (MRD) testing in patients with breast cancer. The research project uses Myriad’s MRD testing platform, a tumour-informed high-definition assay based on whole-genome sequencing, to attain high sensitivity and specificity for circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA).

The molecular diagnostics company has several other tests in its portfolio, including the BRACAnalysis CDx test to help diagnose several types of cancers, the EndoPredict Test to help diagnose breast cancer, and the MelaPath Dx test for skin cancer.