Green Shield Canada is investing in Canadian pharmacogenetics company GenXys Health Care Systems.
The two companies will be collaborating on new pharmacogenetic products, which are set to launch later this year, with a focus on driving more informed prescribing, fewer adverse drug reactions and better health outcomes for patients and plan members.
“GSC has a long history of measuring the value of health benefits spending and we look forward to exploring the role of pharmacogenomics in maximizing patient health outcomes and advancing the specific value of drug spend,” said David Willows, the insurer’s executive vice-president of digital, innovations and brand experience, in a press release.
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The investment comes on the heels of a study conducted by Green Shield Canada and HBM+ on the impact of pharmacogenetics on more than 200 outpatients who had been diagnosed with major mental-health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
While the full study results will be shared later this summer, the press release noted one key finding stands out: those patients receiving pharmacogenetics-guided treatment reported significantly greater improvements over a six-month period across a range of clinical outcome measures, including severity of depression and anxiety, as well as level of disability.
“We had always felt that the key unanswered question was whether clinician access to pharmacogenetic test results would improve patient outcomes,” said Willows. “This study clearly showed that it can, strengthening our belief in the impact of pharmacogenomics-guided treatments.”
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