Estimating the prevalence of potential and actionable drug-gene interactions in Irish primary care: A cross-sectional...

Pharmacogenetics (PGx) is increasingly recognized as a strategy for medicines optimisation and prevention of adverse drug reactions. According to guidelines produced by the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) and the Dutch Pharmacogenetic Working Group (DPWG), most medicines with drug-gene interactions (DGIs) are prescribed in primary care. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of potential and actionable DGIs involving all medicines dispensed in Irish primary care.

Dispensings of 46 drugs to General Medical Services (GMS) patients in the Health Service Executive Primary Care Reimbursement Service Irish pharmacy claims database from 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 were analysed to estimate the national prevalence of total dispensings and incidence of first-time dispensings of drugs with potential DGIs according to the CPIC and/or DPWG guidelines. Phenotype frequency data from the UK Biobank and the CPIC were used to estimate the incidence of actionable DGIs.

One in five dispensings (12 443 637 of 62 754 498, 19.8%) were medicines with potential DGIs, 1 878 255 of these dispensed for the first time. On application of phenotype frequencies and linked guideline based therapeutic recommendations, 2 349 055 potential DGIs (18.9%) required action, such as monitoring and guarding against maximum dose, drug or dose change. One in five (369 700, 19.7%) first-time dispensings required action, with 139 169 (7.4%) requiring a change in prescribing. Antidepressants, weak opioids and statins were most commonly identified as having actionable DGIs.

This study estimated a high prevalence of DGIs in primary care in Ireland, identifying the need and opportunity to optimize drug therapy through PGx testing.