23andMe Added Two New Medication Insight Reports



23andMe announced that they have two new Medication Insight Reports that are available to 23andMe+ members. The 23andMe+ Membership offers everything in the Ancestry + Traits Service and the Health + Ancestry Service. It also provides exclusive reports throughout the year.

23andMe released two new Medication Insight Reports as part of their 23andMe+ Membership. These two new reports provide medication insights on how a person’s CYP2C19 metabolizer profile may impact citalopram and clopidogrel therapy. The reports look at clopidogrel, a blood thinner, and an antidepressant, citalopram. About 22 million people in the US are prescribed citalopram. About 20 million have subscriptions for clopidogrel.

According to 23andMe, FDA clearance of these new reports also removes the need for confirmatory testing in a clinical setting for specific CYP2C19 outcomes. The reports, 23andMe points out, explicitly state that customers should consult their healthcare provider before making any changes to their medications.

The CYP2C19 gene provides the instructions for making the CYP2C19 enzyme, which helps the liver process (or “metabolize”) important medications. The enzyme also helps to process other medications such as over-the-counter treatments for acid reflux and ulcers, called proton pump inhibitors.

The study by research from 23andMe in collaboration with UCSF found that the majority of people have at least one genetic variant in the CYP2C19 gene that impacts how the body processes certain medications, including clopidogrel and citalopram.

Earlier this year, a meta-analysis showed that patients with loss-of-function variants in the CYP2C19 gene had a 30 percent reduction in ischemic events – including heart attacks and strokes – when treated with alternative antiplatelet medications, including ticgrelor or prasugrel, versus clopidogrel.

23andMe’s own research indicates that 70 percent of 23andMe customers would receive a potentially actionable result from 23andMe’s pharmacogenetics reports.

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