A novel study has shown that prescribing medication dosage in accordance with a patient’s DNA can bring down the negative effects by 30%–a significant figure.

The international study was led by Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), and their findings were published within the journal The Lancet.

“The one-size-fits-all approach for prescribing medication is outdated,” LUMC said in a press release.

How people reply to medication varies greatly as a result of differences in people’s genetic information. For example, some people metabolize medication faster, making a better dosage crucial for effective treatment, NLTimes reported.

“Personalized treatment is due to this fact desirable,” in line with the university hospital.

The researchers crafted a DNA medication pass that associates the dosage of medication influenced by DNA in line with a patient’s DNA profile. On scanning the pass, doctors and pharmacists are informed of the optimal medication dose that will be appropriate for the person being treated. 

For the study, researchers enrolled around 7,000 patients from seven European countries to check the pass. Each participant was prescribed a drug whose processing is influenced by the DNA. The study was limited to 39 chosen drugs from a myriad of medical specializations, including oncology, cardiology, psychiatry, and general medicine. The participants were divided into two groups–half used the usual dosage of the medication, while the remaining had the dosage adjusted based on their DNA pass, in line with the outlet.

Before starting the medication schedule, the DNA of every patient was mapped. By 12 specific genes, researchers found 50 sorts of genetic variants affected how the 39 chosen drugs worked. After 12 weeks, patients were asked for feedback by a nurse specialist regarding the prevalence of negative effects, resembling diarrhea, anemia, nerve pain, or lack of taste.

“The Lancet study found that patients who actively make use of the medication pass, and whose doses are adjusted in line with their DNA, experience 30% fewer serious negative effects than patients who were prescribed a regular dose of drugs,” the statement read.

Furthermore, patients were satisfied in using the pass as they felt they were more on top of things and involved of their treatment.

“For the primary time, we’ve got proven that a ‘tailored’ strategy works at a big scale inside clinical practice. There may be now enough evidence for us to proceed with implementation,” said Henk-Jan Guchelaar, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at LUMC and coordinator of the study.

“This implies the following step for us is to begin making use of the DNA medication pass,” Jesse Swen, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and principal investigator, added.

Guchelaar and Swen consider that the DNA pass needs to be made part of ordinary care.

“We wish to maneuver towards mapping the DNA of each patient who involves the pharmacy,” Guchelaar noted. “In this manner, we are able to make treatment simpler and safer for every patient.”